WEBVTT 00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:01.620 Morning, Church. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:07.879 This morning we're continuing our Advent sermon series, 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:10.519 examining the prophecies of Isaiah. 00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:15.519 Our passage is from Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7 this morning. 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:21.400 You can find this passage on page 536 in one of the Pew Bibles in front of you. 00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:26.179 If you're new to the Bible, the big numbers you see on the pages of the chapters 00:00:26.179 --> 00:00:27.679 and the smaller numbers of the verses, 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:31.480 so you can also use that to help you navigate to the passage as well. 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:36.019 As you're finding your way there, let me open us up with a word of prayer. 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:44.280 Father God, we thank you that you have revealed yourself to us through your word, 00:00:44.879 --> 00:00:48.799 and we thank you that in this season of Advent we can pause to reflect 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:52.159 on the coming of your word through the birth of Jesus. 00:00:54.019 --> 00:00:56.640 We ask this morning that you would be present with us 00:00:56.640 --> 00:00:59.000 and that the light of your gospel would shine, 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:04.040 that you would be glorified and we would be edified by the study of your word. 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:08.480 We pray that you would reveal yourself to us through your word this morning, 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:10.140 and we pray this in the name of Jesus. 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:11.140 Amen. 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:17.099 Well, the Christmas season is in full swing now, 00:01:17.099 --> 00:01:20.839 and every year the season brings with it a flood of activity. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:25.640 And most likely with that activity comes a flood of emotions. 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.140 Between the Christmas parties, the family get-togethers, 00:01:30.339 --> 00:01:34.379 traveling, shopping, distributing cards, and packing ourselves full of sugar, 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:39.299 we can find ourselves staring down the barrel of the season with anticipation, 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:42.560 dread, or maybe a little bit of both. 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:47.560 But if we slow down a bit and we dial into the tone of the season, 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:51.980 we may also find ourselves feeling a sense of transcendence, 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:57.620 a sense of hope in something beyond our little sphere of influence. 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:02.439 One of my favorite activities during the season is driving around 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:04.500 and checking out the light displays in town. 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.219 In a season when the sun is setting very early in the day, 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.979 Christmas light displays bring an added sense of joy in the darkness. 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:16.219 It engages the community, and it adds flavor and distinctiveness 00:02:16.759 --> 00:02:19.659 that we don't otherwise see in our neighbors' homes. 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.000 It feels like we can almost know our neighbors in a new way. 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:29.240 There are people in our town that I know nothing about, 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.900 but I know they're the kind of family that feels a sense of representation 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:37.620 by penguins and polar bears or snowflakes or the Grinch 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:42.259 or my favorite so far this year, a saxophoning snowman. 00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:48.080 When we take the time to pause and examine the glowing lights, 00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:52.340 we might find that the cold air and the nagging darkness 00:02:52.340 --> 00:02:56.920 are momentarily suppressed by warmth and joy. 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:02.119 There's a wonder in the Christmas season that I think we all long to embrace, 00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:04.119 even in the midst of our busy schedules, 00:03:04.579 --> 00:03:07.699 and even more so in some of the brokenness 00:03:07.699 --> 00:03:11.219 that can be so magnified by the stress of the season. 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:15.739 Unfortunately, things like Christmas light displays 00:03:15.739 --> 00:03:19.279 don't really satisfy this hunger for transcendence. 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:22.579 The momentary feeling of hope or joy 00:03:22.579 --> 00:03:25.259 fades as we realize it's still cold, 00:03:25.259 --> 00:03:26.500 it's still dark, 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:29.099 and maybe our neighbor isn't actually as cool 00:03:29.099 --> 00:03:30.479 as his saxophoning snowman. 00:03:32.299 --> 00:03:33.620 We're the neighbor, by the way. 00:03:36.859 --> 00:03:40.039 But our passage today helps us locate the hope of this season 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:41.179 in its rightful place. 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.280 There is a light that shines in the darkness, 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:48.739 one that brings knowledge of its source. 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:51.759 And with that knowledge, 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:54.939 hope and a new life and transformation 00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:58.539 So let me read for us our passage. 00:03:58.780 --> 00:04:01.659 Again, that's Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7. 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:06.780 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. 00:04:07.859 --> 00:04:10.259 In the former time, he brought into contempt 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:12.579 the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:14.620 But in the latter time, 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:16.680 he has made glorious the way of the sea, 00:04:17.379 --> 00:04:18.560 the land beyond the Jordan, 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:20.600 Galilee of the nations. 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:25.900 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 00:04:26.760 --> 00:04:28.939 Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, 00:04:29.320 --> 00:04:31.220 on them has light shone. 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:34.240 You have multiplied the nation. 00:04:34.400 --> 00:04:35.879 You have increased its joy. 00:04:36.320 --> 00:04:39.560 They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:42.200 as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 00:04:42.199 --> 00:04:45.139 For the yoke of his burden 00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:46.699 and the staff for his shoulder, 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:48.599 the rod of his oppressor, 00:04:48.740 --> 00:04:51.240 you have broken as on the day of Midian. 00:04:52.659 --> 00:04:54.740 For every boot of the tramping warrior 00:04:54.740 --> 00:04:55.620 in battle tumult 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:57.259 and every garment rolled in blood 00:04:57.259 --> 00:04:59.099 will be burned as fuel for the fire. 00:05:00.259 --> 00:05:02.819 For to us, a child is born. 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:05.480 To us, a son is given. 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:09.200 And the government shall be upon his shoulder 00:05:09.200 --> 00:05:11.660 and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:15.259 Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 00:05:16.280 --> 00:05:18.759 Of the increase of his government and of peace, 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:20.240 there will be no end. 00:05:20.980 --> 00:05:23.379 On the throne of David and over his kingdom 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:25.439 to establish it and to uphold it 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:27.200 with justice and with righteousness 00:05:27.200 --> 00:05:29.560 from this time forth and forevermore, 00:05:29.960 --> 00:05:33.020 the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:39.140 So again, we're in the middle of our Advent series 00:05:39.140 --> 00:05:42.080 and last week we heard this theme from Isaiah 7 00:05:42.080 --> 00:05:44.879 declaring the good news of God's arrival in our world. 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:48.259 This was proclaimed through the prophecy 00:05:48.259 --> 00:05:50.720 that the virgin would conceive and bear a son 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:53.660 and call his name Emmanuel, our God with us. 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:57.200 So now we have this second prophecy 00:05:57.200 --> 00:05:59.220 which again points to the birth of a child 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:00.860 and expounds upon the hope 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:03.020 that this brings to the people of God. 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:07.259 This hope is rooted in what we see in verse 2 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:09.180 that those who were walking in darkness 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:10.759 have seen a great light. 00:06:12.299 --> 00:06:14.120 And to grasp the magnitude of the hope 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:15.120 that this light offers, 00:06:15.599 --> 00:06:18.459 it's helpful to get a sense of the historical context. 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:21.079 At this point, Isaiah was prophesying 00:06:21.079 --> 00:06:22.240 to the nation of Judah, 00:06:22.779 --> 00:06:25.879 a nation facing significant geopolitical turmoil. 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:28.879 Last week, Pastor Nick detailed 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:30.259 some of the historical background here 00:06:30.259 --> 00:06:32.300 so I won't repeat everything that he said. 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:34.439 But the bottom line is that Ahaz, 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:36.000 the king of Judah, 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:38.819 made a decision to form a political alliance 00:06:38.819 --> 00:06:40.099 with Assyria. 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:43.719 Assyria was on a mission of conquest. 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:45.379 So other nations, 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:47.939 including Judah's sister nation of Israel, 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:50.779 were pressuring Ahaz to form an alliance 00:06:50.779 --> 00:06:53.079 with them against Assyria. 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.479 In the midst of this turmoil, 00:06:56.719 --> 00:06:58.459 Ahaz rejected God's assurance 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:01.740 and instead trusted in the strength of Assyria 00:07:01.740 --> 00:07:05.519 to protect Judah from this anti-Assyrian alliance. 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:09.219 And it worked for a time, 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.839 but following Ahaz's decision, 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.419 Isaiah prophesied that Israel and Judah 00:07:15.419 --> 00:07:18.399 would both ultimately find themselves 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.259 in utter darkness. 00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:24.159 In the preceding verse, 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:25.680 chapter 8, verse 22, 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:26.379 we read, 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:28.459 And they will look to the earth, 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:29.740 but behold, 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:32.480 distress and darkness, 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:34.639 the gloom of anguish, 00:07:35.339 --> 00:07:36.719 and they will be thrust 00:07:36.719 --> 00:07:38.599 into thick darkness. 00:07:40.719 --> 00:07:41.659 For Judah, 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:42.560 this vision meant 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:43.939 that they would later be oppressed 00:07:43.939 --> 00:07:46.099 by the same nation that saved them. 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:47.680 And even longer term, 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:48.420 they would fall victim 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:49.800 to the Babylonian Empire 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:51.420 and be exiled from their land. 00:07:53.540 --> 00:07:55.019 This vision foreshadowed 00:07:55.019 --> 00:07:56.340 a complete devastation 00:07:56.340 --> 00:07:58.400 of everything they held dear. 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:01.280 Their land would be decimated, 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:02.600 completely ruining 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:03.980 their agricultural economy. 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:06.019 The temple, 00:08:06.180 --> 00:08:07.259 the center of their community, 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:08.160 would be destroyed, 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:10.199 and they would no longer have a place 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:11.699 to gather and worship. 00:08:11.699 --> 00:08:15.159 Many of them would be uprooted 00:08:15.159 --> 00:08:16.060 from their homes, 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:18.779 with families at times being split. 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:22.379 They'd be transported by force 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:23.719 to a land they didn't know, 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:25.079 where they didn't speak the language, 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:26.659 and where they had no sense 00:08:26.659 --> 00:08:28.560 of national identity. 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.559 We can imagine the sense of loss 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.500 and the sense of lostness 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:37.480 they probably felt. 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:40.840 In our passage, 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:42.220 Isaiah refers to the people 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:43.700 walking in deep darkness, 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:44.500 and there's actually 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:46.180 a bit of wordplay happening here, 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:47.420 where he's combining 00:08:47.420 --> 00:08:48.740 two Hebrew words 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:50.800 to form a sort of compound phrase. 00:08:52.060 --> 00:08:53.000 Death, darkness. 00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:56.820 Other translations render this 00:08:56.820 --> 00:08:57.960 as shadow of death, 00:08:58.720 --> 00:08:59.980 and it points to this idea 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:01.220 that the shadow cast 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:02.600 by their current circumstances 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:03.480 is so expansive 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.659 and so dark 00:09:05.659 --> 00:09:06.840 that it feels 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:08.460 as though they're walking in death. 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:11.300 But, 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:13.420 there was hope. 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:16.480 Verse 2 says, 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:18.060 the people who walked in darkness 00:09:18.060 --> 00:09:19.460 have seen a great light. 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:21.060 Those who dwelt 00:09:21.060 --> 00:09:22.879 in a land of deep darkness, 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:24.500 on them 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:26.019 has light shone. 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:30.060 Well, that certainly sounds 00:09:30.060 --> 00:09:30.759 like good news, 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:33.379 but what is the light? 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:33.919 What is the light exactly? 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:35.340 And where does it come from? 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:39.220 The good news is actually 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:40.539 in the source of the light, 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:42.580 the person from whom 00:09:42.580 --> 00:09:43.600 the light is shining. 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:47.379 Like our Christmas light displays 00:09:47.379 --> 00:09:48.100 that tell the world 00:09:48.100 --> 00:09:49.320 just a little bit about us, 00:09:50.100 --> 00:09:50.679 there's something 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:51.559 that we can learn, 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:54.340 someone that we can know 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:55.480 by this light. 00:09:56.500 --> 00:09:57.480 And that person 00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:58.899 is foretold in verse 6. 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:00.679 For unto us 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:01.860 a child is born, 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:03.060 to us 00:10:03.060 --> 00:10:03.940 a son 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:04.659 is given. 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:07.779 The people walking 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:08.300 in darkness 00:10:08.300 --> 00:10:09.340 have seen 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:10.379 a great light, 00:10:11.019 --> 00:10:12.720 a light that is located 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:14.019 squarely in the birth 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:14.659 of this child. 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:16.940 God himself 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:18.080 would come from his throne 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:19.320 to dwell with his people 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:20.240 in the messiness 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:21.220 of their humanity, 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:22.500 and his coming 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:23.240 would itself 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:24.639 be the good news, 00:10:25.320 --> 00:10:26.560 the great light 00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:27.840 shining into the darkness 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:28.560 of our world. 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:29.759 God is the good news, 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:30.759 God is the good news, 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:31.239 God is the good news, 00:10:31.239 --> 00:10:32.639 this child is Jesus Christ, 00:10:33.439 --> 00:10:34.419 the one that Hebrews 00:10:34.419 --> 00:10:36.000 describes as the radiance 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:36.859 of God's glory 00:10:36.859 --> 00:10:38.479 and the exact imprint 00:10:38.479 --> 00:10:39.659 of his nature. 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:43.379 He is not simply 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:44.559 God's representative, 00:10:45.179 --> 00:10:47.439 not simply God's delegate, 00:10:48.319 --> 00:10:49.939 but quite literally 00:10:49.939 --> 00:10:51.659 God in the flesh. 00:10:52.599 --> 00:10:54.000 God in the flesh, 00:10:54.199 --> 00:10:55.239 born unto us 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:56.799 in full humanity 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:57.639 and the one 00:10:57.639 --> 00:10:58.560 and only God 00:10:58.560 --> 00:10:59.299 of the universe, 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:01.000 fully divine 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:02.740 and given to us 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:04.360 by God himself. 00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:08.620 Throughout this passage, 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:09.639 Isaiah expounds 00:11:09.639 --> 00:11:10.139 on the nature 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:10.820 of this hope 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:11.759 that he locates 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.000 in the birth of Jesus. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.159 In the first part 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:15.639 of the passage, 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:16.779 we see that the light 00:11:16.779 --> 00:11:17.779 of Jesus' birth 00:11:17.779 --> 00:11:18.560 gives us hope 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:19.500 in God's rescue, 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:20.960 and in the rest 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:21.480 of the passage, 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:22.379 we see the hope 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:23.500 that it provides 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:24.379 in God's reign. 00:11:24.379 --> 00:11:25.779 Hope in God's rescue 00:11:25.779 --> 00:11:28.019 and hope in God's reign, 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:29.279 and it's these two aspects 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:30.919 I want to dial into today. 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:34.100 So first, 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:34.919 let's look at the hope 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:35.480 and the rescue. 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:37.779 We need to consider 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:38.899 a couple of things here. 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:40.019 We need to appreciate 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:41.460 not only the circumstances 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:42.799 from which we are rescued, 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:44.200 but also the way 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:45.639 in which God executes 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:46.720 this rescue mission. 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:49.460 So first, 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:50.559 there's a helpful pattern 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:51.220 in these verses 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:53.059 that describe being rescued 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:54.559 from something hopeless 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:57.579 and into something glorious. 00:11:59.219 --> 00:12:01.239 We see this in verse 1, 00:12:01.419 --> 00:12:01.979 which says, 00:12:02.079 --> 00:12:02.939 in the former time, 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:04.219 he brought into contempt 00:12:04.219 --> 00:12:05.439 the land of Zebulun 00:12:05.439 --> 00:12:06.839 and the land of Naphtali, 00:12:06.939 --> 00:12:08.000 but in the latter time, 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:09.379 he has made glorious 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:10.859 the way of the sea, 00:12:11.219 --> 00:12:12.479 the land beyond the Jordan, 00:12:12.939 --> 00:12:14.579 Galilee of the nations. 00:12:17.459 --> 00:12:18.379 Zebulun and Naphtali 00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:19.099 were areas 00:12:19.099 --> 00:12:19.939 in the northern kingdom 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:20.420 of Israel 00:12:20.420 --> 00:12:21.080 and were likely 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:22.600 the first to fall victim 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:23.820 to the Assyrian Empire. 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:26.100 This is the contempt 00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:28.180 that Isaiah is prophesying. 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:30.960 He's saying that 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:31.480 the Israelites 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:32.940 will indeed experience 00:12:32.940 --> 00:12:34.300 darkness and contempt 00:12:34.300 --> 00:12:35.320 through conquest 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:36.600 by other empires, 00:12:37.260 --> 00:12:39.540 but that they will 00:12:39.540 --> 00:12:40.740 also be rescued 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:41.960 from this contempt 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:43.820 and into glory. 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:47.080 And this is something 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:47.640 of a headline 00:12:47.640 --> 00:12:48.520 that summarizes 00:12:48.520 --> 00:12:49.840 the action of the Lord 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:51.100 in this saving. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:52.540 The following verses 00:12:52.540 --> 00:12:53.360 help to illustrate 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:54.100 what it means 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:54.820 to be rescued 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:55.600 by a holy 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:56.600 and righteous God. 00:12:57.960 --> 00:12:58.980 In verse 2, 00:12:59.080 --> 00:12:59.520 they're rescued 00:12:59.520 --> 00:13:00.220 from darkness 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:00.940 and into light. 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:02.300 In verse 3, 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:02.820 they're rescued 00:13:02.820 --> 00:13:03.879 from despair 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:05.080 and into joy, 00:13:05.800 --> 00:13:07.160 from oppression 00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:08.300 to freedom 00:13:08.300 --> 00:13:09.220 in verse 4, 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:11.160 from tumult 00:13:11.160 --> 00:13:12.040 into peace 00:13:12.039 --> 00:13:13.319 in verse 5. 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:18.059 There's a sobering reality 00:13:18.059 --> 00:13:18.759 in this. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:21.659 Our sin, 00:13:22.339 --> 00:13:23.559 like that of the Israelites 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:24.399 at that time, 00:13:24.699 --> 00:13:26.120 leads to separation 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:27.099 from God. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:30.259 This deep darkness 00:13:30.259 --> 00:13:31.639 in which they walked 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:33.459 illustrates our own sin 00:13:33.459 --> 00:13:34.639 and our own 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.019 spiritual darkness. 00:13:38.099 --> 00:13:40.219 This is an uncomfortable truth 00:13:40.219 --> 00:13:41.059 that we often find 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:42.239 difficult to embrace 00:13:42.239 --> 00:13:43.159 in our culture. 00:13:44.719 --> 00:13:46.379 But the Bible is clear. 00:13:47.359 --> 00:13:48.779 We all have chosen 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:50.399 safety and comfort 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:51.239 and pleasure 00:13:51.239 --> 00:13:52.339 in other gods. 00:13:53.339 --> 00:13:55.279 We all have fallen short 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:56.039 of the glory 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:58.500 of the one true God, 00:13:58.959 --> 00:13:59.859 as Romans says. 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:02.840 For Ahaz, 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:04.080 he relied on his own wisdom 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:05.120 and placed his confidence 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.500 in a geopolitical ally. 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:09.000 For us, 00:14:09.060 --> 00:14:09.899 we may find ourselves 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:11.159 trusting in different gods. 00:14:12.560 --> 00:14:13.480 Gods of money, 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:15.180 relationships, 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:16.779 power, 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:17.500 and influence. 00:14:19.800 --> 00:14:20.759 In any case, 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:21.740 our sin ultimately 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:22.620 invites judgment 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:24.200 marked by darkness, 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:25.139 despair, 00:14:25.980 --> 00:14:26.580 bondage, 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:27.940 and tumult. 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:30.500 But, 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:33.400 if we deal seriously 00:14:33.400 --> 00:14:34.259 with the reality 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:34.980 of our sin 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:36.700 and God's righteousness, 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:39.259 there is good news. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:42.060 In these verses, 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:42.860 the descriptors 00:14:42.860 --> 00:14:43.580 of God's mercy 00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:44.580 bring hope and joy 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:46.080 to a very dark picture. 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:47.860 We are not just saved 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:48.660 from darkness, 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:49.920 from gloom, 00:14:50.040 --> 00:14:50.740 from contempt. 00:14:51.520 --> 00:14:52.120 Fundamentally, 00:14:52.120 --> 00:14:53.139 we are saved 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:54.159 from death 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:56.299 and into life. 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:00.379 So how exactly 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:01.360 is God going about 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:02.019 this rescue? 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:04.940 We have the answer 00:15:04.940 --> 00:15:05.519 in the beginning 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:06.340 of verse 6. 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:07.700 For unto us 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:08.679 a child is born, 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:09.679 to us 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:10.620 a son 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:11.320 is given. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:14.659 The birth of this child 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:15.299 is said to be 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:16.320 the deciding moment 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:17.100 at which God's 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:17.720 rescue mission 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:18.659 comes to bear. 00:15:19.060 --> 00:15:19.720 God has shown 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:20.639 a great light 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:21.560 on his people. 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:23.539 He has increased 00:15:23.539 --> 00:15:24.179 their joy. 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:25.340 He has removed 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:26.720 the rod of their oppressor 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:28.960 because this child 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:30.500 enters into the world. 00:15:32.620 --> 00:15:33.320 You see, 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:34.000 this child 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.279 who was the exact 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.700 imprint of God's nature 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:38.379 came to pay the price 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:39.440 for our sin. 00:15:41.060 --> 00:15:42.000 And in doing so, 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:42.500 he would bear 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:43.620 all of the shame, 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:44.840 all of the guilt, 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:46.340 and all of the brokenness 00:15:46.340 --> 00:15:47.259 of this world. 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:49.200 And he would bear it 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:49.980 on his shoulders 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:50.740 as he hung 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:51.720 on the cross. 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:55.340 This good news 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:55.879 of the coming 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:56.360 of Christ 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:57.200 is one that brings 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:57.580 with it 00:15:57.580 --> 00:15:58.360 a release. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:01.200 For some, 00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:02.159 darkness may mean 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.179 the ongoing struggle 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:03.840 with addiction 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:04.580 or loneliness. 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:07.019 For others, 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:07.580 it may mean 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:08.799 a constant exhaustion 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:09.679 from parenting 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:10.899 or caretaking. 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.179 Maybe there's never 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:14.779 any certainty 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:15.539 or regularity 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:16.259 with your job 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:17.519 or your finances 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.259 or maybe 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:19.480 you're grappling 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:20.679 with the new reality 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:21.679 of ailing health 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:22.799 that has no 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:23.939 clear solution. 00:16:26.379 --> 00:16:27.399 The darkness 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:28.159 often feels 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:28.799 unrelenting 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:29.740 and the truth is, 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:31.000 left to our own devices, 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:31.580 the darkness 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:33.500 doesn't simply persist. 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:35.559 It's eternal 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:37.480 and it's hopeless. 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:40.539 to battle 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:41.320 addiction alone 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:41.980 is certainly 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:43.399 to fail. 00:16:45.060 --> 00:16:45.879 We cannot 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:46.899 simply run out 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:48.080 and find a good friend 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:48.960 or a good partner 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:49.840 or a good spouse 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:51.320 just because we're lonely. 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:54.580 The exhaustion 00:16:54.580 --> 00:16:55.340 of caretaking 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:56.639 will always creep in 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:57.580 leading to moments 00:16:57.580 --> 00:16:58.000 of anger 00:16:58.000 --> 00:16:58.440 and bitterness 00:16:58.440 --> 00:16:59.460 and even the best 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:00.460 doctors in the world 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:02.379 cannot stop 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:03.279 death. 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.740 But the birth 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:07.240 of Jesus 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:08.019 brings with it 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:08.619 the hope 00:17:08.619 --> 00:17:09.940 of an end 00:17:09.940 --> 00:17:10.879 to the darkness. 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:14.019 With Jesus 00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:14.980 we have an advocate 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:15.899 that saves us 00:17:15.899 --> 00:17:16.799 from the bondage 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:17.220 of addiction 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:18.539 and into the freedom 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:19.559 of good 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:20.779 and natural desires. 00:17:22.619 --> 00:17:23.680 In our loneliness 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:24.180 we're given 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:24.899 a comforter 00:17:24.899 --> 00:17:25.819 and a friend. 00:17:27.379 --> 00:17:28.539 In our weakness 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:29.420 and frustration 00:17:29.420 --> 00:17:30.059 we are given 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:30.839 a caretaker 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:31.960 who is patient 00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:32.879 and long 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:33.600 suffering. 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:37.380 Our bodies 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:37.880 will certainly 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:38.440 fail us 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.200 but in Jesus 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:39.800 we are given 00:17:39.800 --> 00:17:40.280 a hope 00:17:40.280 --> 00:17:41.660 in new life 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:43.160 that will never end. 00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:45.280 We hope 00:17:45.280 --> 00:17:45.780 in the one 00:17:45.780 --> 00:17:46.480 who is powerful 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.380 enough to conquer 00:17:47.380 --> 00:17:48.260 sin and death 00:17:48.260 --> 00:17:49.340 and we hope 00:17:49.340 --> 00:17:49.840 in the one 00:17:49.840 --> 00:17:50.500 who loved us 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.040 so sacrificially 00:17:52.040 --> 00:17:53.120 that he died 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:53.680 for us 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:54.760 so that we could 00:17:54.760 --> 00:17:55.680 be reconciled 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:56.160 to him. 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:00.300 So when we 00:18:00.300 --> 00:18:00.920 consider what it 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:01.660 means for this light 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:02.160 to shine 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:02.820 into the dark 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:03.039 darkness 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:03.919 I think a lot 00:18:03.919 --> 00:18:04.159 of us 00:18:04.159 --> 00:18:04.559 would tend 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:04.919 to think 00:18:04.919 --> 00:18:05.279 of this 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:06.119 as just 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:06.639 a relief. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:07.599 Maybe it's 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:08.099 like walking 00:18:08.099 --> 00:18:08.639 outside 00:18:08.639 --> 00:18:09.279 and remembering 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:09.899 the feeling 00:18:09.899 --> 00:18:10.539 of the sun 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:11.319 shining on your 00:18:11.319 --> 00:18:12.159 face after a few 00:18:12.159 --> 00:18:12.899 cloudy days. 00:18:14.179 --> 00:18:15.099 You feel it 00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:16.299 you revel in it 00:18:16.299 --> 00:18:17.579 and then you go 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:18.139 about your day 00:18:18.139 --> 00:18:18.899 a little bit warmer 00:18:18.899 --> 00:18:19.960 and a little bit 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:20.339 happier. 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:23.419 And certainly 00:18:23.419 --> 00:18:24.200 the light of Jesus 00:18:24.200 --> 00:18:25.000 seen through his 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.200 birth does bring 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:27.339 warmth and relief 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:28.480 in its hopeful message. 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:28.539 change. 00:18:30.120 --> 00:18:31.019 But it's more 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:31.480 than that. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:33.860 We're not just 00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:34.400 walking through 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:35.319 life under a cloud 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:35.740 and we're like 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:37.559 boats being 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:38.420 tossed around 00:18:38.420 --> 00:18:39.220 at night in the 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:39.980 middle of a storm 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:40.519 on the sea. 00:18:42.140 --> 00:18:43.039 There's not 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:44.460 just darkness. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:46.360 There's uncertainty. 00:18:47.420 --> 00:18:48.299 There's fear 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:49.120 and danger. 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:51.819 There's a lostness 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:52.660 and a vulnerability 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:54.060 because it's so 00:18:54.060 --> 00:18:54.860 dark and so 00:18:54.860 --> 00:18:55.480 stormy that 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:56.160 without a light 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:56.740 we simply 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:57.740 cannot navigate 00:18:57.740 --> 00:18:58.580 our way out. 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:02.200 So this light 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:02.700 that shines 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:03.220 in the darkness 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:03.880 is more like 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:04.400 a lighthouse. 00:19:06.300 --> 00:19:06.759 Yes, 00:19:06.820 --> 00:19:07.360 in the midst 00:19:07.360 --> 00:19:07.940 of the storm 00:19:07.940 --> 00:19:08.720 it brings hope 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:09.960 and it brings 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:10.400 relief. 00:19:11.540 --> 00:19:12.620 But it elicits 00:19:12.620 --> 00:19:13.240 these feelings 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:15.040 because the light 00:19:15.040 --> 00:19:16.220 is directional. 00:19:18.360 --> 00:19:19.160 This light 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:20.400 beckons to us. 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.580 turn the ship. 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:26.600 Turn from your 00:19:26.600 --> 00:19:27.420 endless pursuit 00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:28.400 of perfection 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:29.240 in your social 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:29.860 influence, 00:19:30.060 --> 00:19:30.960 in your job, 00:19:31.040 --> 00:19:31.800 in your relationships. 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:33.200 Turn from your 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:33.900 striving for 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:34.900 worldly success. 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:36.580 Turn from your 00:19:36.580 --> 00:19:37.200 love of things 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:37.840 that are temporal, 00:19:38.540 --> 00:19:39.160 that are finite, 00:19:39.360 --> 00:19:39.940 from the things 00:19:39.940 --> 00:19:40.660 that will ultimately 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:41.300 disappoint. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.259 Turn from your 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:44.600 sin, 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:45.700 Jesus says. 00:19:46.540 --> 00:19:47.740 Come to me, 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:49.080 all you who 00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:49.540 are weary, 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:50.700 and I will 00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:51.659 give you rest 00:19:51.659 --> 00:19:52.700 for my yoke 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:53.259 is easy 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:54.759 and my burden 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:55.420 is kind. 00:19:57.899 --> 00:19:58.440 Friends, 00:19:58.539 --> 00:19:58.819 the light 00:19:58.819 --> 00:19:59.399 gives us hope 00:19:59.399 --> 00:20:00.359 because it gives 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:01.039 us direction. 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:02.319 It points to the 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:03.200 way out of the 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:03.500 storm, 00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:04.519 out of sin, 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:05.619 out of darkness, 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:06.879 out of death, 00:20:07.139 --> 00:20:08.659 and into life. 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:11.399 And that way 00:20:11.399 --> 00:20:12.339 out is Jesus, 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:13.559 the way, 00:20:14.339 --> 00:20:15.079 the truth, 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:16.480 and the life. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.660 So we have 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:21.599 hope in God's 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:22.000 rescue. 00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:23.559 But we said 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:24.039 there's also 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:24.900 hope in God's 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:25.200 reign. 00:20:25.620 --> 00:20:26.279 Skeptics might 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:26.680 wonder, 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:27.799 into what kind 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:28.420 of life 00:20:28.420 --> 00:20:29.539 have I been 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:30.039 saved? 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:32.259 Have I just 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:33.099 been extricated 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:33.940 from one oppressor 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:34.759 only to be adopted 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:35.299 by another? 00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:38.779 Indeed, 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:39.620 being saved, 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:40.180 so to speak, 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:40.860 is really only 00:20:40.860 --> 00:20:41.759 good news to the 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:42.400 extent that our 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:43.160 Savior is good. 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:45.160 Ahaz found this 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:45.900 out the hard way. 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:47.900 In response to the 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:48.480 pressure from the 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.080 northern kingdom, 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:49.980 he sought protection 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:51.160 in political alliances 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:52.460 that would ultimately 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:53.100 oppress him. 00:20:55.120 --> 00:20:56.220 So is our Savior 00:20:56.220 --> 00:20:57.100 good? 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:00.120 Well, 00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:00.860 the remainder of our 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:01.940 passage in chapter 9 00:21:01.940 --> 00:21:03.200 shows us that Jesus 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:04.380 is not only our 00:21:04.380 --> 00:21:04.900 rescuer, 00:21:05.040 --> 00:21:06.320 but he is also 00:21:06.320 --> 00:21:07.400 our good and 00:21:07.400 --> 00:21:08.640 faithful king. 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:11.480 We're naturally 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:12.400 averse to the idea 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:13.140 of a king because 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:14.220 such centralization 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:15.200 of power has often 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:16.100 gone so poorly 00:21:16.100 --> 00:21:16.819 for humanity. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:18.660 But friends, 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:20.019 Jesus is not a 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:20.900 king like those 00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:21.460 that we've seen 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:21.960 in history, 00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:22.880 and his reign 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:23.759 is unlike any 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:24.039 other. 00:21:25.360 --> 00:21:26.259 He is the 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:27.120 wonderful counselor, 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:28.480 the mighty God, 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:29.620 everlasting father, 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:30.759 and prince of peace. 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:34.039 When we talk about 00:21:34.039 --> 00:21:35.480 advent or coming 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:36.120 or arrival, 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:38.039 we're typically 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:38.819 thinking of the 00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:40.279 first arrival of God 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:40.860 through the birth 00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:41.380 of Jesus, 00:21:41.380 --> 00:21:41.880 Jesus. 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:42.500 But here in the 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:43.200 second half of the 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:43.560 passage, 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.580 Isaiah is already 00:21:44.580 --> 00:21:45.960 looking forward to 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:47.040 Jesus' second 00:21:47.040 --> 00:21:48.440 advent when he'll 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:49.560 come in glory to 00:21:49.560 --> 00:21:50.720 establish his 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:51.980 everlasting kingdom. 00:21:53.600 --> 00:21:54.500 This is what we 00:21:54.500 --> 00:21:55.320 read earlier in the 00:21:55.320 --> 00:21:56.160 passage from Luke. 00:21:56.280 --> 00:21:57.280 The angel speaking 00:21:57.280 --> 00:21:58.080 to Mary in her 00:21:58.080 --> 00:21:58.820 pregnancy is 00:21:58.820 --> 00:22:00.820 affirming Jesus as 00:22:00.820 --> 00:22:01.820 the fulfillment of 00:22:01.820 --> 00:22:02.460 this prophecy. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:04.640 It reads, 00:22:04.760 --> 00:22:05.760 He, that is Jesus, 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:06.620 will be great and 00:22:06.620 --> 00:22:07.440 will be called the 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:08.900 Son of the Most 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:09.260 High. 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:10.279 The Lord God 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:10.940 will give him 00:22:10.940 --> 00:22:11.680 the throne of 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:12.539 his father David 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:13.680 and he will reign 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:14.480 over Jacob's 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.519 descendants forever. 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:16.920 His kingdom 00:22:16.920 --> 00:22:18.579 will never end. 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:22.279 You know, 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:23.119 it's striking to 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:23.900 see that the 00:22:23.900 --> 00:22:24.920 prophecy is cast 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:25.740 in terms of 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:26.920 geopolitical turmoil. 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:28.940 The hope that's 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:29.519 promised was 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.339 understood by the 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:31.220 Israelites as the 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:31.799 coming of a 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:33.019 political and 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:33.960 military leader, 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:35.680 one that would 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:36.579 break the bondage 00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:37.819 of national oppressors 00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:39.119 and reestablish 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:40.179 temple worship and 00:22:40.179 --> 00:22:41.179 restore the nation 00:22:41.179 --> 00:22:42.500 of Israel to its 00:22:42.500 --> 00:22:43.859 rightful place in 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:44.279 the world. 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:47.759 But Jesus didn't 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:48.639 come to save his 00:22:48.639 --> 00:22:49.759 people by political 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:51.379 or military might. 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:54.379 He came to earth 00:22:54.379 --> 00:22:55.139 to usher in a 00:22:55.139 --> 00:22:56.419 kingdom defined by 00:22:56.419 --> 00:22:57.359 the things that the 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.819 world has despised. 00:23:00.899 --> 00:23:01.980 This is what Isaiah 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:02.960 means when he names 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:03.619 this child. 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:04.700 Jesus, the 00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:05.599 wonderful counselor, 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:06.639 will reign not 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:07.800 through fear and 00:23:07.800 --> 00:23:08.880 anger, but with 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:09.960 patience and 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:11.259 imperfect wisdom. 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:14.100 Jesus, the mighty 00:23:14.100 --> 00:23:15.120 God, will establish 00:23:15.120 --> 00:23:16.540 his kingdom not 00:23:16.540 --> 00:23:17.800 by subjugation, 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:19.640 but through radical 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:21.440 self-sacrifice. 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:24.100 Jesus, the 00:23:24.100 --> 00:23:25.040 everlasting Father, 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:26.320 reigns in love from 00:23:26.320 --> 00:23:27.040 the beginning and 00:23:27.040 --> 00:23:28.360 will reign forevermore. 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:29.600 And Jesus, the 00:23:29.600 --> 00:23:30.300 Prince of Peace, 00:23:30.360 --> 00:23:31.320 will oversee a 00:23:31.320 --> 00:23:32.700 kingdom where sin, 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:34.100 brokenness, and 00:23:34.100 --> 00:23:35.420 death will end. 00:23:35.420 --> 00:23:36.960 And we will no more 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:38.100 be at enmity with 00:23:38.100 --> 00:23:39.620 God because of our 00:23:39.620 --> 00:23:39.860 sin. 00:23:42.860 --> 00:23:44.000 If we need evidence 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:44.800 of the goodness of 00:23:44.800 --> 00:23:45.759 our King, we needn't 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.900 look any further than 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:48.539 Jesus' crucifixion. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.539 Jesus, residing in 00:23:51.539 --> 00:23:52.720 heaven and needing 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:55.100 nothing, laid aside 00:23:55.100 --> 00:23:56.500 his very glory to 00:23:56.500 --> 00:23:58.000 come to earth in 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.720 human form. 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:01.500 And living on earth, 00:24:01.620 --> 00:24:02.420 knowing that he had 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:03.620 the power to establish 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:05.000 his kingdom by force, 00:24:06.419 --> 00:24:08.479 chose instead to 00:24:08.479 --> 00:24:09.500 suffer the injustice 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:11.399 and the contempt and 00:24:11.399 --> 00:24:12.859 the humiliation of 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:13.619 dying the most 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:14.979 excruciating and 00:24:14.979 --> 00:24:16.159 shameful death 00:24:16.159 --> 00:24:17.000 possible. 00:24:18.299 --> 00:24:19.559 Death on a cross. 00:24:21.559 --> 00:24:22.959 He did this in our 00:24:22.959 --> 00:24:25.099 place, and he did it 00:24:25.099 --> 00:24:27.500 in love, so that by 00:24:27.500 --> 00:24:28.539 rising back from the 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:29.479 dead, he would rescue 00:24:29.479 --> 00:24:31.159 his people, conquer 00:24:31.159 --> 00:24:32.479 sin and death, and 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:33.579 establish his kingdom 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:36.500 and rule forever in 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:36.819 glory. 00:24:39.819 --> 00:24:41.920 So there is good 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:43.860 news in a good 00:24:43.860 --> 00:24:45.440 Savior who rescues 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:46.980 us into his good 00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:47.740 kingdom. 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:51.019 So what's the 00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:51.680 kingdom like? 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:54.740 When we hear the 00:24:54.740 --> 00:24:55.480 kingdom of God, we 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:56.480 may subconsciously 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:57.400 think of a faraway 00:24:57.400 --> 00:24:58.180 place where we go 00:24:58.180 --> 00:24:58.920 after we die. 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:01.180 And if we're being 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:01.800 honest, we kind of 00:25:01.800 --> 00:25:02.660 struggle to envision 00:25:02.660 --> 00:25:03.680 what this kingdom 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:04.940 will actually look 00:25:04.940 --> 00:25:05.259 like. 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:07.800 There's a cartoon by 00:25:07.800 --> 00:25:08.820 Gary Larson, a part of 00:25:08.820 --> 00:25:09.700 the Far Side series, 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:10.539 where a guy who's made 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:11.640 it to heaven is 00:25:11.640 --> 00:25:12.580 sitting, he's perched 00:25:12.580 --> 00:25:13.200 on his own little 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:14.640 individual cloud, he's 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:15.620 got his robe on, his 00:25:15.620 --> 00:25:16.600 halo's intact, and he's 00:25:16.600 --> 00:25:17.180 just thinking to 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:17.960 himself, I kind of wish 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:18.620 I'd brought a magazine. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:23.640 This cartoon's a 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:24.400 light-hearted way of 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:25.380 exposing a real 00:25:25.380 --> 00:25:26.500 deficiency in our 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:26.920 souls. 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:29.680 We are so 00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:30.840 entangled with our 00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:32.100 messiness that we're 00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:33.640 unable to fathom the 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:34.920 joy of a world without 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:37.759 sin, without pain and 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:38.180 suffering. 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:42.300 If we're honest, we 00:25:42.300 --> 00:25:43.360 may even find in the 00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:44.600 darkest corners of our 00:25:44.600 --> 00:25:46.300 hearts that we might 00:25:46.300 --> 00:25:48.360 mourn the loss of our 00:25:48.360 --> 00:25:49.900 messiness in the 00:25:49.900 --> 00:25:50.860 exchange for something 00:25:50.860 --> 00:25:51.240 greater. 00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:54.680 C.S. Lewis says in 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:55.460 his book, The Weight of 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:56.900 Glory, it would seem 00:25:56.900 --> 00:25:57.840 that our Lord finds 00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:58.840 our desires not too 00:25:58.840 --> 00:26:00.560 strong, but too weak. 00:26:01.800 --> 00:26:02.700 We're half-hearted 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:03.880 creatures fooling about 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:05.000 with drink and sex and 00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:06.140 ambition when infinite 00:26:06.140 --> 00:26:08.040 joy is offered us, like 00:26:08.040 --> 00:26:09.140 an ignorant child who 00:26:09.140 --> 00:26:10.140 wants to go on making 00:26:10.140 --> 00:26:11.480 mud pies in a slum, 00:26:12.080 --> 00:26:12.920 because he cannot 00:26:12.920 --> 00:26:13.980 imagine what is meant 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:15.040 by the offer of a 00:26:15.040 --> 00:26:16.080 holiday at the sea. 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:19.820 We are far too easily 00:26:19.820 --> 00:26:21.700 pleased, he says. 00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:25.480 God's kingdom is not 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:26.900 just some far away 00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:28.240 escape where we go 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:29.240 when we die, and it's 00:26:29.240 --> 00:26:30.360 not just some quiet 00:26:30.360 --> 00:26:31.980 existence where we sit 00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:33.200 in boring tranquility 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:34.019 because all of the 00:26:34.019 --> 00:26:35.160 interesting things of the 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:35.920 world have been washed 00:26:35.920 --> 00:26:36.259 away. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:39.700 The kingdom of God is 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:43.299 rich with majesty, with 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:44.940 renewal, and with glory. 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.920 The joy we might feel 00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:49.460 marveling at creation when 00:26:49.460 --> 00:26:50.880 we watch a sunrise from 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:51.680 the summit of a 00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:54.400 mountaintop is only a 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.539 small token of the 00:26:55.539 --> 00:26:56.579 grandeur of his kingdom. 00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:00.500 But the amazing thing 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:01.440 about this kingdom is 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:02.700 that it's not just a 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:05.180 future glory, but a very 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:06.880 current reality. 00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:09.360 This kingdom is one that 00:27:09.360 --> 00:27:10.460 God is already ushering 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:12.220 in through the birth and 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:13.259 the death and resurrection 00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:14.500 of Jesus. 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:18.359 Jesus' earthly ministry was 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:19.880 a foreshadowing of the 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:20.799 kingdom that's ultimately 00:27:20.799 --> 00:27:22.740 to come, one in which the 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:24.680 outcast is welcomed, the 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:26.700 blind are made to see, the 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:28.400 lame are made to walk, and 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:30.819 the dead are raised to life. 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:35.079 So this hope that we have in 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:36.220 the kingdom gives us more 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:37.579 than just a hope for relief 00:27:37.579 --> 00:27:38.400 in the future. 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:42.220 Like those walking with 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.400 Jesus during his earthly 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:45.480 ministry, it gives us a hope 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:47.860 and restoration here and 00:27:47.860 --> 00:27:48.220 now. 00:27:50.580 --> 00:27:52.280 When we believe in the Lord 00:27:52.280 --> 00:27:54.700 Jesus and we repent of our 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:56.040 sins, we are saved from 00:27:56.040 --> 00:27:58.860 death and we are raised to a 00:27:58.860 --> 00:28:00.540 new spiritual life as members 00:28:00.540 --> 00:28:01.220 of his kingdom. 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:05.640 And God not only calls us into 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:07.360 his kingdom, but he calls us to 00:28:07.360 --> 00:28:09.600 partake in the cultivation of 00:28:09.600 --> 00:28:10.040 the kingdom. 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:12.659 He promises to use us to 00:28:12.659 --> 00:28:13.879 glorify himself. 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:16.940 And in this we can find hope 00:28:16.940 --> 00:28:19.220 and joy even in the midst of 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:21.859 our darkness, knowing that God 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:24.839 is working in and through us to 00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:26.740 redeem the brokenness in the 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:26.980 world. 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:31.279 We've been hearing quite a bit 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:32.680 about this kingdom this fall as 00:28:32.680 --> 00:28:33.859 we've been working our way through 00:28:33.859 --> 00:28:34.839 the Sermon on the Mount. 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:38.799 We began with the Beatitudes in 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:39.379 that series. 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:42.199 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:44.939 Blessed are those who mourn. 00:28:46.079 --> 00:28:47.559 Blessed are the meek, the hungry, 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:49.059 the thirsty, the pure in heart, 00:28:49.179 --> 00:28:50.699 the peacemakers, the persecuted, 00:28:51.480 --> 00:28:52.279 the reviled. 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:56.519 If you haven't heard these sermons, 00:28:56.619 --> 00:28:57.699 I'd encourage you to go back into 00:28:57.699 --> 00:28:59.000 the archive and listen to them. 00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:01.759 There's a richness in understanding 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:02.959 the depth of meaning in these 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.400 terms. 00:29:04.819 --> 00:29:06.559 But the broader point here is that 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:08.120 those who are blessed in the 00:29:08.120 --> 00:29:10.840 kingdom of God are not the ones 00:29:10.840 --> 00:29:13.600 who bring knowledge and power and 00:29:13.600 --> 00:29:16.500 wealth and success and influence to 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:17.000 the table. 00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:21.079 They are the lowly in heart. 00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:25.319 Those who come to the throne of God 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:28.000 knowing they bring nothing but their 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:30.099 empty, open hands. 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:34.200 And with their empty hands, 00:29:34.899 --> 00:29:37.539 they become tools in God's hands 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:39.919 to bring the good news of the gospel 00:29:39.919 --> 00:29:41.980 to the ends of the earth. 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:47.579 Contrast this against our world right now. 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:52.319 How are you valued in the world? 00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:57.519 Politicians value you for your vote. 00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:01.419 Corporations value you for your labor. 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:04.679 The free market values you for your money. 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:08.439 Academia values you for your intellect. 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:11.940 Even in our personal lives, 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:13.480 the sin that permeates humanity 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:14.600 means that we're often 00:30:14.600 --> 00:30:17.620 feeling valued because we're good friends, 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:19.920 good kids, good spouses, 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:20.840 good parents, 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:23.299 even good Christians. 00:30:23.299 --> 00:30:28.299 And if any of these things stop being true, 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:30.119 then what? 00:30:32.440 --> 00:30:35.379 Is it any wonder that we find ourselves 00:30:35.379 --> 00:30:39.259 toiling in anxiety and despair and darkness? 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:43.980 But the hope of the gospel is that 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:45.519 through faith in Jesus, 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:46.839 we can live in a kingdom 00:30:46.839 --> 00:30:50.279 where we are not valued because of what we bring, 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:53.059 but because of what God did for us. 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:58.119 God created us and loved us so much 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:00.139 that he was willing to die for us 00:31:00.139 --> 00:31:03.019 even while we were still walking in darkness, 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:05.200 still rejecting him, 00:31:05.579 --> 00:31:07.680 still dead in our sins. 00:31:10.240 --> 00:31:12.279 Friends, the gods of our society today 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:13.799 are very harsh masters. 00:31:14.919 --> 00:31:17.139 They demand everything from us 00:31:17.139 --> 00:31:18.980 and offer little in return. 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:22.220 Knowledge and social status 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:24.120 and money and sex and relationships. 00:31:25.860 --> 00:31:27.640 As gifts, these things are wonderful, 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:29.440 but as gods, they are ruthless. 00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:33.880 A life spent in endless pursuit of these things 00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:35.799 leads to toiling, to disappointment, 00:31:36.059 --> 00:31:37.400 to bitterness and despair. 00:31:38.500 --> 00:31:41.539 These things cannot satisfy our souls. 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:44.079 We were not designed for that. 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:47.839 We were made for life with God. 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:51.859 Jesus is God's greatest display 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:53.700 of his power and his righteousness, 00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:55.240 and it's in this power 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:57.039 that God rescues his people 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.899 and will ultimately restore his creation. 00:31:59.900 --> 00:32:04.860 This light beckons to us 00:32:04.860 --> 00:32:07.680 like a lighthouse in the distance 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:10.060 amidst our dark and stormy circumstances. 00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:14.240 This light is the light of Jesus, 00:32:14.620 --> 00:32:16.060 God in the flesh, 00:32:16.780 --> 00:32:18.259 God with us. 00:32:19.120 --> 00:32:19.960 Come to him, 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:22.420 and he will give you rest. 00:32:22.420 --> 00:32:24.539 Let's pray. 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:27.840 Father God, 00:32:27.900 --> 00:32:29.100 we thank you that in love 00:32:29.100 --> 00:32:30.380 you came to save us, 00:32:31.019 --> 00:32:31.940 and in power 00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:33.519 you rose victorious 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:34.920 over sin and death. 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:38.200 We pray that during this season of Advent 00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:40.440 that you would align our hearts to you 00:32:40.440 --> 00:32:41.779 and that the birth of Jesus 00:32:41.779 --> 00:32:44.279 would be an ever-present reminder to us 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:46.000 of your sacrificial love 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:47.820 and the light that it brings. 00:32:49.240 --> 00:32:50.920 Lord, we thank you for this hope 00:32:50.920 --> 00:32:52.140 that we have in Jesus, 00:32:52.360 --> 00:32:53.340 and it's in his precious 00:32:53.340 --> 00:32:54.720 and holy name that we pray. 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:56.100 Amen.