My name is Kyle for visiting with us today.
I want to say, welcome to you. I'm glad that you're here, Echo.
The sentiments of both, my wife and Jasper and welcoming you
today. I hope that you enjoy your time
worshiping Christ with us. If you have your Bible, you can
turn to Isaiah chapter 9. Look at Isaiah chapter 9, it's
real close. To the very middle of your
Bible. All right, so Isaiah chapter 9,
is where we'll be today? Today we are as you're going, as
you're going there, I'll just kind of set up what we're doing.
We are in the third week now of our Advent series.
And so there will be a message on Friday night at the Eve.
Eve service just about about the birth of Christ looking forward
to the birth of Christ and about whom he came to save.
And so I really encourage you to come back Friday night to hear
that. I think you'll find it
encouraging, but you'll find the whole night a real treat for
you. Our family during this time of
year, it's a blast and then Sunday on Christmas morning.
I'm excited to worship with you all on Christmas morning.
I hope just want to encourage you to make plans to be here.
I know that you're like, and it's Christmas morning.
And I'm like, man, it's the Lord's Day, right?
And, and we are people who say all the time that I assume you
are, that Jesus is the reason for the season, right?
So let's not say that. And then say, except if If the
season falls on, you know, a Sunday, then I won't be there.
So let's make plans to attend on Sunday as much as we're able,
you may have travel plans. You may already be gone out of
town but if you're here, come worship with us.
It'll be a good time in the house of the Lord exalting
Christ, again looking will look specifically at the birth of
Christ. The peace that comes with him
and with his birth and will glory in the Lord together.
And then we'll go home and enjoy the rest of the festivities.
So in our home were already making plans for that morning,
what's it going to look like before church and after church?
And so men, I encourage you sit down with your family this week.
Make plans for that, plan it out.
Look at look ahead and say, hey we're going to be there, but
here's what we're going to have to do to make that work.
Okay? You can do it.
I'm in your corner. You have questions, let me know.
But let's come and worship together on Sunday morning.
Again, I say, Nonce, we're in the middle of Advent Advent,
explores, the first coming of Christ and as we're looking at
the first coming of Christ, it's in anticipation of the second
coming of Christ and so there's going to be some of that theme
we've throughout. But what we're saying is that
there was real darkness, there is real darkness on the earth
still but there was real darkness on the earth back then
as well. And so these promises from
Genesis 3:15 all the way through.
Finally, the birth of Christ. The arrival of the Messiah were
moments of light in the middle of darkness.
And so we've looked at the promise in Genesis 3:15, we're
God's just right out of the gate is letting Adam and Eve, both,
and all of humanity for that matter know that this will not
in this way. Christ will come.
He will punish the serpent death will be dealt a death.
Blow Christ will be bruised in the process, but he will reign
Victorious. Aureus.
And so it's the announcement of the gospel.
And then we looked at Abraham last week and we just talked
about so journey and how you are sojourners.
You are men and women, boys and girls, who love the Lord.
And so as such you're on your way to a Heavenly Homeland.
Amen, there are things about this world that feel like home
and then there's a lot of things about this world that are
nothing like home, but the very best of this world.
The very best of this world will still need to be redeemed in the
new. Even a new Earth.
Amen. And so the best of this world
was just a foreshadowing of what awaits Us in the new Heaven and
new earth. And so we look forward to that.
That's our homeland. And we are going there by the
grace of Christ. And so today I want to talk to
you about a prophecy. And so in Isaiah 9, we see in
the scriptures, we have Major Prophets and we have five books
of Major Prophets and we have 12 books with Minor Prophets and
through all of these God, Making pronouncements either of
judgments or of Salvation to come.
And he's using this as a way to turn the hearts of his people
back to himself. And so Isaiah is a book that is
full of both. It's full of coming judgment.
Judgment Doom. That's coming up on you.
Israel Judah Doom that's coming to you but it's also full of
pronouncements of a coming Savior.
And so we're going to look Look at Isaiah 9 today to see this
but these are men who God Called to announce to his people who
were dwelling in the darkness of sin that to announce either
judgment or blessing which was to come.
And the Old Testament there are 300 plus prophecies about the
coming Messiah. 300-plus prophecies, really incredible.
Considering the last book of the New Testament Malachi which also
prophecies about the coming. It Was Written 400 years before
Christ arrived on the earth and so it's really incredible what
God is doing in the Old Testament to show us that Christ
is coming and so Isaiah is a prophet to Judah.
Judah is the southern Kingdom. There was a split under the
reign of Solomon David's son. There was a split in the Kingdom
of Israel and Judah is part of this as part of the Southern
Kingdom. Mmm.
And so this is around 9:30 BC, Isaiah continues.
Sorry, Isaiah contains prophecies about multiple
aspects of the coming Christ. He prophesies about the last
days things in, which you'll see in Isaiah 25 about how will
dwell on the mountain with the Lord will eat of Choice Meats,
and drink of choice, wine, and we will fellowship with Christ
in heaven, and with his people, amen.
I'm excited about it. He prophesized about a manual
and Isaiah 7 verse 14. It says that the Virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, his name Shall be Called Emmanuel,
which means god with us. We see they prophesize about the
branch and the root of Jesse. We see that he prophesized about
the Savior waited for. That's what our passage today is
going to contain. We see that he prophesized about
the Cornerstone or the foundation stone, specifically
of the church Who is it? That unites all of God's people.
It's Christ. We see that the prophet saw is
about the way of the Lord being prepared which was a prophecy
about John the Baptist largely. We say they prophesied about the
Man of Sorrows and Isaiah 53. The one who would be acquainted
with grief stricken to the point of death.
So that, again, God's people might go free and enjoy The
Spoils of such. He prophesized about the
Redeemer to come to prophesize. Just Explicitly about the
Messiah Isaiah's book is large and it contains a whole lot of
encouragement, and a whole lot of discouraging things as well.
But in the middle of Darkness, there is light and that's what
we see in our passage today. So when I ask that, you stand
your feet, we're going to read the word of God today.
When I'm finished reading, I'll say this is the word of the
Lord, and I'll ask that you respond.
Thanks, be to God. All right.
Isaiah 9, verse 1. Through 7, let's read.
But there will be, no Gloom for her who was in anguish, and 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 nation's, the
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light eyes.
Those who dwelt in the land of deep Darkness on them, has light
Shone, you have Add the nation. You have increased, its Joy.
They Rejoice before us 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 boots of the
tramping warrior in battle tumults 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 upon 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 This
is Zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Amen. This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let me pray for you before you see that.
Heavenly Father, we praise you for today.
We thank you for your word. We ask that you be with us.
Now, would you open our hearts and Minds to have comprehension
of the things that we read today to understand your word?
Lord open our hearts and Minds to believe it.
And to trust Lord, that you are, who you say you are.
Lord, would you help us to see the lights of Christ today for?
It is the only thing, powerful enough to save Souls powerful
enough to sanctify. Our hearts and Minds to help us
be more like Christ. It is transformative light and
we are in need of it. And so Lord, we are helpless
today to see it on our own were helpless today to know, Christ
on our own. We must have the spirits help
and so holy Spirit. We pray that you would
illuminate God's word today. Help us to see it and to believe
it, to trust it to live it out. It's in Christ's name we pray.
Amen. Amen.
May be seated. So the the theme of what I want
to put before you today is this it's very simple, but
life-changing nonetheless God fulfills his promise to destroy
Darkness through the birth of his son.
And so I'm going to talk to you about the themes of light and
darkness again today, but from Isaiah here and Isaiah verse 22
8 sorry 8:22, so just a verse. Before where we started this is
what we read says and they will look to the Earth but behold the
stress and darkness the Gloom of Anguish, and they will be thrust
into thick Darkness. And so this is the people for
whom light has come or light is coming.
These people are dwelling in darkness.
They're separated from God they're in captivity and there's
anguish they're beginning to get bitter and angry with God over
their separation. And Isaiah 9 1 through 7.
What we have here happening is that in the midst of Darkness?
God sends Isaiah to proclaim the birth of the coming Messiah.
For to us. A child, is born to us.
A son is given and so, God is fulfilling his promise to
destroy Darkness, through the birth of his own son.
Amen. In verse 1, God speaks through.
I'm just going to walk kind of verse.
By verse through this today, I'll make a few applications
along the way, but then I'll wrap it up and we'll be on our
way in verse 1. God again, he's speaking through
Isaiah. And he announces an into the
Gloom is going to be an end to the darkness.
You dwell in great Darkness but thick Darkness.
It says I mean if ever set in thick Darkness you've ever gone
hunting maybe you sit and the thick of the dark of night
waiting on the sun to come up you know maybe used a light to
get to your stand but once you're in the stand right all
lights go out. Preparation has begun its time
to wait. And so as the day Dawns, there's
thick Darkness as you wait on that.
All right, there's a thickness of that, or maybe it's some of
these clouds these foggy nights. We had recently, right?
It just felt like Darkness upon Darkness, right?
It is already getting dark early but now the darkness felt thick.
There was a maybe it's just the humidity.
There was a thickness to the darkness, right?
And so this is what's being described of the people of God
here in and Judah. There's a Darkness, that their
dwelling in and at one time, God dealt with his people, rebellion
and wrath, this is why there's a separation of the Kingdom.
Got it separated, as people as people were now in captivity.
And and their destruction, this happened through the destruction
of the promised land, everything that they had gained by their
faithfulness, they lost by their unfaithfulness, they broke their
Covenant with God and God punished them.
And so, there are moments in a Believers life, where God will
seek, try attempt to gain your attention through punishments,
will bring about some sort of captivity.
You might say, Say it bring about some sort of discipline in
your life and if you hear the discipline, you see the
discipline you repent? And you turn to the Lord what's
removed from you. But if you do not The discipline
may become stricter, may become increasingly larger and this is
what has happened to God's people.
I didn't listen, I continued to rebel against the Lord and now
they sit in great Darkness but a time is coming, this is what's
being announced for them. There's a Time coming where God
is going to rescue his people by his own Grace right for to us.
It's for them. A son is given, right, but whose
son, God's son. And so by Grace, he's going to
rescue them from Darkness. It will come through Galilee,
right? And it's going to affect the
nation's. That's what we're reading about.
In verse one, another words come affect the Gentiles not just
going to be these these Jews anymore.
It's not going to be just the nation of Israel, but it's going
to extend to the nation's going to effect the Gentiles.
And so here we see right out of the gate are called to
unbelievers. Even today, we might read it as
such anyone who sits in their sins.
Anyone who sits yet, unrepentant of their sins, anyone who is
without faith in Christ for their salvation.
They sit in grave, Darkness thick Darkness, their soul is in
danger. But when the gospel comes and
when it comes to anyone who will receive it by repentance of sins
and faith in Christ, then a great light has Shone upon that
person, and when they see the great light, I must welcome that
light. Let it grow in them and it
shines brighter with each new day.
You become more and more like Christ.
This is what we read about a few weeks ago as we looked at Second
Corinthians, three and four, where it talks about their how
there was a veil that's Removed and the same God who spoke a lot
into being is now shown into the hearts of his people, through
the Light of Christ. That is the gospel and now they
can see the Lord, and he says there that it's by seeing Christ
by beholding Christ, The Light of Christ, looking to the Light
of Christ that you are transformed from one degree of
glory to the next. And so this happens for this
happens for unbelievers. They see the lot of Christ
Christ makes himself known to them regenerates, a heart,
there's Faith. Now in the Lord and by their
faith in Christ by their following him, they are
transformed from one degree of glory to the next and so they
must welcome the LIE, Let It Grow shine in them each day and
it's that shining through the regenerative person that becomes
evidence of a transformed life, right?
Where once you have someone whose heart was far from the
law, And it was evident by their actions that they didn't care at
all about Christ and his commands about Christ and his
call to repentance. Now, there's fruits, there's
fruit, but I like the way the John.
The Baptist says to the Pharisees, he says bear fruit in
keeping with repentance and also his baptism was a baptism of
repentance. It wasn't yet the baptism that
we see where were baptized into Christ into his death raised to
New Life. It wasn't that yet.
So he tells the Pharisees bear fruit in keeping with
repentance. Don't just say I Repent.
Don't just say forgive me Lord but bear fruit in.
That's right. And that's the same thing that
you see with a genuine believer, there's going to be a
transformed life and from that transformed life, there's going
to be evidence of such. You don't talk the same way.
You don't walk the same way, don't live the same way, right?
You are transformed and so that person has been removed from
Darkness. They've been brought into The
Marvelous Light of Christ Jesus as first Peter.
Two calls it and that light is a sweet light, right?
It's a transforming light. It's one that carries with it,
the brightness of eternal life. And so it draws Us in and it
transforms. Well, there's also a word of
encouragement, so that's a call to unbelievers to repent.
Don't stay in your thick Darkness.
Come to the light of Christ. But there's a call here or a
word of encouragement. At least four Saints as well.
For those of you in here, who love the Lord, who have
submitted to him, There's a word of encouragement here in the
worst of times. In the worst of times God's
people have a, nevertheless now my translation says, but but I
didn't want to say that. All right, I don't want to say
God's people have a, but right children.
God's people have a nevertheless and that's what's taking place
in verse 1, but there will be no Gloom for her. or nevertheless,
there will be no Gloom for her who was in anguish, you have a
nevertheless, you have a, but so to say, To comfort yourself
with. It's a bomb for you and your
distressed and troubled heart. It's a help for you.
And what you're reading here in Isaiah 9.
Is that though you may be persecuted, you're never
forsaken. Though, you may experience
persecution for your faith. The Lord never leaves you, he
hears your cries, though. You may be filled with sorrow
yet, you may always be rejoicing, you don't have to be
overwhelmed by sorrow. Does not defeat you though.
You feel it, you can be always rejoicing which is what second
Corinthians 6 tells us. And so this text is a comfort to
us when there are times of Darkness, we need to remember
that he who forms the light and creates.
The darkness has appointed to both their boundaries, right?
Darkness can only be so dark for the people of God because Christ
Reigns, amen. And we are holding on to Christ.
And so, Darkness will not overcome the people of God.
The people of God, have the promise of the Light of Christ
to willed against Darkness. Amen.
That that God is not going to leave you in the dark.
Darkness. And he alone is able to shine
great light upon his people. So let that be an encouragement
to your heart today. But though you may be
experiencing dark times, you may be having a really difficult
year months weeks days, maybe it's an hour.
Like, just on the way here, just didn't go.
Like you hoped it, put And so, you come in today, and I want
you to hear today. That Darkness does not Reign
Over the people of God, cannot will not ever.
Amen. Not saying you won't experience
Darkness. I'll send you won't walk through
it. But you have a bright light in
the middle of great darkness. That is the word of God that you
can stand on its a lot of Christ.
And then in verses 2 through 3, the tone begins to change.
I'll read it to you again. The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light.
Those who dwelt in the land of deep Darkness on them has like,
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.
And so in verses 23 the the tone begins to change Isaiah you
notice what he's doing? He's speaking in past tense, on
them, light has Shone they have seen a great light.
Those who dwelt in the land of deep Darkness on them.
Light has Shone you have multiplied, the nation, you have
increased, its Joy. Let me tell you, when they're
hearing this, it hasn't happened yet. but, The tone is changing.
Because when God announces something, When God says that
something is coming, guess what? It's as good as if it has
already happened. Amen.
You can trust it as though you're looking in your rear-view
mirror at it, even though you might be looking forward with
expectation of that day, a great light has Shone on those who
were in deep Darkness. John chapter 1 as Alan, read it
earlier right? That the light Light shines in
the darkness, the darkness has not overcome it, not speaking of
the Light of Christ which is what I'm trying to point you to
today. It's what it's what Isaiah was
pointing the people of Judah to in this time.
And so the nation has been multiplies not only has Judah
seen the light not only is Israel.
Going to see the light that Remnant there that God's going
to keep for himself, but the light is going to shine on the
nation's. It's going to bless the
nation's. It's going to be a Multitude.
And so it's going to be multiplied.
Amen, you sit here. Today is evidence that this is
true. You're not Jewish.
I don't think right. You don't hell from Jerusalem.
You sit here today as Americans, right?
And your people came from all sorts of places to create your
mixture, but what we see is that God has fulfilled Isaiah 9.
He's already fulfilling it. He's calling people from every A
tribe and tongue and Nation to worship him to glorify his name
and so we see are together as people from South Arkansas doing
that. But guess what?
There's people all over the world who are sitting together
on Sunday, the Lord's Day worshipping Christ as well.
Amen, because God, God makes good on his promises.
He can be trusted. And so the people of God now
includes all nations and tongues and tribes.
Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Gentile, we read about in the New Testament that we are all
one family in the Lord. We're all a part of the body of
Christ. The bride of Christ, he is our
head, we are his body. Isaiah is saying, this is a
message of great Victory, that's what he's telling them.
Like this, this Gloom that you feel will not last Light is
coming and this Remnant that you see of faithful believers who
are having to dwell in this Darkness will guess what your
faithfulness is going to pay off the Lord is going to not only
redeem you, You but he's going to redeem people from every
tribe and tongue and Nation. The multitude is going to be
increased is going to be more and more.
Who proclaim the goodness of God, the excellencies of Christ.
We're going to stand on him despite great darkness in their
own lives. The Light of Christ is going to
shine and it's going to be Victorious.
And this brings overwhelming. Joy me.
Just see it there again. In verse 3, 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. So you see all the gladness and
the joy that comes from Light which shines on a heart, which
gives New Life In Christ and now there's great joy.
In Verses 4 and 5. We see that it's not simply a
deliverance from their oppressors.
Look at this for the Yoke of his burden and the staff of for his
shoulder, the rod of his oppressor you have broken as on
the day of Midian where every boots of the tramping Warrior
and battle some bolts. And every garment rolled in
blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
So God, here is announcing the breaking of the bondage of sin
on mankind. It's not just that you're going
to be released from your oppressors is that you're going
to be released from the oppression of sin.
That's a far greater Victory. Amen.
Sin will not rule over. You, will not Reign Over You
Christ, Reigns. And so, this is the promise of
the New Testament. Again, when God takes a Stony
heart and he removes, any puts in a heart of Flesh, that's
called regeneration. That's a, that's a new
beginning, right? It's a new life, a new creation,
its creative work. And second Corinthians 5:21
where we see that old things are passing Earth.
Sorry 517 or see old things are passed away.
Behold. All things are becoming new
Ephesians 2:10 says that we are his workmanship God's
workmanship created in Christ Jesus.
For good works which he prepared beforehand.
So what we see is that we're getting an altogether, new life
in Christ, And now you have at your disposal, the ability, the
will the want to the drive, the desire to please Christ to live
a life that honors him. And glorify his name where as
once we couldn't obey the law, whereas once we found ourself
oppressed by sin and its nature. Now, we are free from our sin
nature and we can obey the Lord. Now You might pause here and
raise your hand and say, we'll call that.
I still struggle with sins. I still wrestle with desires.
That are contrary to the Lord's desires for me.
Yes, you do. Because you have not been
detached from a broken flesh though, your spirit and your
mind is set free by the spirit of God.
And this is Romans 6 7 8 or really getting into this and
those who have been set free, their free indeed.
And so you were free with your mind to serve the Lord.
But what Paul is saying in Romans 7 is that my body is
still at war with me. My flesh is still at war with my
renewed spirit and Though, in my mind I want to serve the Lord
though. In my mind I want to do all that
He commands. I find myself still doing the
things that I don't want to do. I find myself still retreating
into sin and selfish desires. And so in Romans 8, he says, You
must mortify, the flesh by the spirit, you must put to death,
the Deeds of the flesh, by the spirit of God, alive in you.
And so, that's what's taking place, the bondage of sin is
broken. Once you were bound only to sin.
But now, in Christ, you have been set free in your mind and
your spirit, to live a life that honors him.
Once you could only send now, Now, your will has been renewed
and you can serve Christ. It's been freed.
Amen. And so you are able now.
God has not only removed you as he did here, removed you from a,
the oppressors, he's removed. You from the Great Depression
which is your sin nature. And so if you were in Christ,
you've been delivered from that, the bondage of sin is no longer
on you anymore and this is a reason to exult in the Lord.
Amen. Got announces here that piece is
coming. He's announcing an end to Wars
and end to evil in the world. How will it come?
Well, in verse six 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. Amen.
So, how does the war cease? How does the end of evil arrive?
How is their peace with God? It's only through the son of
God. It's through that Babe in a
Manger. Who was born to die?
It's a gift of divine grace. You must see it that way.
God is giving to you. His very own son.
God looking into the darkness of the since card world says, here
is my son here is The Marvelous Light of the Savior to save you,
out of great darkness and by his life, You will know what I am,
like. You will know who I am by his
death, you will know true life. This is the encouragement.
The Son of God given to save sinners.
Isaiah is prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ.
And he's speaking as though it's already happened for to us.
A son is given to us a child is born, but this is seven hundred
plus years before the birth of Christ incredible what God is
doing. Incredible.
And as, as he was the lamb, who was slain.
So he is also the child here, born.
Amen. This is the light of the
prophets. As we see it.
This is the light of this Prophecy in the middle of great
Darkness. God is speaking through his man,
has a about what is to come. Here God is telling the world.
How he's going to rescue his people from Darkness.
It's not just a baby being born. He tells us what the baby will
be like what he will accomplish by giving by giving himself for
us, what he will be, who he is. And he tells us that and four
names here. His name Shall be Called
wonderful counselor. He is Christ, is the wonderful
counselor? Amen.
He is wonderful because he is both God and man.
He is wonderful because he is the Son of God is counselor,
because he is intimately acquainted with the counsels of
God from eternity. And he gives counsel to his
people as a person. All right.
This is what we read about the great high priest and Hebrews.
The rider. There is making the case that we
have no need for a flesh. We have no need for high priest
and he Longer because we have a great high priest who is entered
once and for all behind the veil into heaven.
And he stands. Now ready?
He stands now ready to offer himself.
He pleads his own blood. His own scars before.
The father. There is no need for the blood
of bulls and goats of rams and doves.
There's no need for any of it. Any longer because Christ has
been crucified and he is our great high priest and what we
read about the great high priest.
It's not that he's some distant high priest, and Heaven is says
that he's a great high priest because he became like us, it
says, he's a great high priest because he was in every way
tempted As we are yet without sin, it says that he's a great
high priest because he's sympathetic to your weaknesses
because he knows them intimately.
What we read about Christ there is that he endured all the way
to the point of Bloodshed. How many of you have endured
your Temptation long enough to the point of Bloodshed none of
us, right? we might make it 10 minutes and
then we give in or were victorious because we trust in
Christ. The point is, if someone has
already paid the penalty for your sin and he stands in
heaven, ready to save to the uttermost, all of those who will
draw near to him near to the father, through him.
And so, I bid you to come to him to see him as a wonderful
counselor. He's a wonderful counselor
because he's able to sympathize with you and your weaknesses.
He's tempted and tried as you are yet without sin, so he's
dependable. No one teaches like Christ does
no one instructs your heart. Like Christ will no one gives
you wisdom. Like Christ gives wisdom.
He is himself wisdom. Amen.
And he makes the wisest plans. And he orchestrates the best
stories. And he stands ready to give you
counsel, that you might join the story that he's writing.
He has wisdom beyond all human capabilities.
He can be trusted. He is wonderful counselor, I
digress, let's move on. He is mighty God.
Christ is mighty God. This is the title of the Lord
himself, right? Until this point.
Unless there's other prophecies as all of me.
But until this point they did not know the Son of God as
mighty God. But here, what we're finding out
is that there's coming one a child who will be born a son who
is given and he will be Mighty God again.
He's fully God fully man. and yet in his birth, what we see is
his humility and his birth and his willingness to to give up
the glories of Heaven, to come to the Earth, to dwell in the
land of Darkness with us to enter in so that he might save
us out of. We see his humble estate that he
would be born as a babe in a Manger.
That he would grow up before his peers and he would increase in
wisdom and stature and favor with both God and man that he
would endure, the problems of the world that he would endure.
The worst for us as the only one who should have never endured it
at all. He is mighty God yet.
He's a child born to us. He's given to us as a ransom for
Sinners. Again, in John chapter 1, we see
that the light shines in the Darkness And that light is none,
other than the glory of God revealed to us in the face of
Jesus Christ. He is the he is full of grace
and truth. Hebrews. 1 says that he is the
exact imprint of the father. Jesus Christ is fully.
God fully, man. He is mighty God in Christ being
born to us is the foundation of our greatest hopes.
It's he is the Cornerstone of all that we believe it is a
fountain of great Joys to see the birth of Christ.
It's a fountain of great joy in times of great, fear, and great
grief to know that Christ has achieved death of deaths that he
is 1 for us, the Battle of sin and death, and that we might
live fully complete in him, he alone is mighty to save.
You see here. Also the Christ is the
Everlasting father as doesn't mean that he is the father
Christ in the father or separate persons within the Trinity.
One Essence, three persons, right?
We've talked about this many times.
He and the father are in perfect Unity.
But what we're reading here is that as an everlasting father,
he gives eternal life to his people.
He achieves eternal life for his people.
And so in that way, we become Sons and Daughters of the father
just as he is a son of a father. He is also their benevolent
protector. Like a father is meant to be a
benevolent protector. He is a benevolent protector for
all eternity. He can be trusted for all
eternity. Really, it's the task of the
ideal kings that he would lead in this way.
He would sacrifice of himself in this way and this is exactly who
Christ is. It also read here that Christ is
the Prince of Peace. He Shall be Called Prince of
Peace. And guess what?
He is, our peace, he is the ruler who will bring about peace
because the Nations will rely on him for their peace with God.
But Nations, I mean, the people of all places tribes tongues.
He gives peace to all who will call on him and these titles
show that Jesus will be the best kind of King that he is,
literally the King of Kings, the Lord of lords, that he is worthy
of all of our devotion and affection and all of our worship
and acclamation, he is worthy of everything.
No one in the davidic line of kings that we read about will
even come close to Christ. He's perfect in every way.
What verses 6 and 7 are showing us as Isaiah begins to focus on
the Messianic, hope of an air of David, again, for to us.
A child, is born to us a son is given.
The government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be
Called wonderful, counselor, Mighty God.
Everlasting father, Prince of Peace, verse 7 of the increase
of his government and of Peace. There will be no End.
Amen. 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.
And so here we see the, the Messianic hope of an air of
David, who would extend his rule from Israel to include all the
Gentile Nations, bringing to them, the blessing of knowing
the true God. And this Empire of Grace will
forever. Expand.
It will go unhindered. Every moment better than the
last God's mission to save his people through his son will not
be stopped. It will be accomplished with a
passionate intensity of only over, which only God can
accomplish. In other words, do we live now
in a neo-pagan society, a new Pagan, the society or modern
Pagan Society? We live in a place that seeks to
redefine marriage by its own terms, even, as recently as this
week. we live in a place that seeks to murder human life in
the womb and to soften the language of that, By coming up
with all kinds of terms to dodge the subject.
We live in a nation that seeks to ignore and reject all
together, God's truth and wisdom.
We must remain. Though we live in the neo-pagan
society. You and I as Christians who know
the Light of Christ must remain people of good cheer.
I don't want far enough, Amen to that.
And if you can't say, Amen. Say ouch, right?
So Advent reminds us that light shines in the darkness.
And so, the beauty of pausing yearly to look at Advent, the
beauty of pausing yearly to say, let's look at the birth of
Christ. Let's see how light has come and
how we can trust God to fulfill his promises.
The beauty of that. Is that it creates Joy.
In the middle of Darkness, it brings cheer where there should
be no cheer. Just came to me.
I should have said it creates cheer where there should only be
fear and all of you would have applauded, right?
so, our King is the king of the universe.
Our home is in Eternal Homeland. The Light of Christ will not be
snuffed out. Amen.
You serve a God. Who will not has not will not be
defeated. No man, no president, no
government. Can extinguish the Blazing light
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just ask our brothers and
sisters in China. Amen.
Well, there's reports of ten thousand plus people coming to
Christ a day and a place where that shouldn't happen.
The gospel. The coming of Christ.
Jesus to die for the Salvation of Sinners, that age, Old
Faithful gospel, message. It still saves, amen.
And it's worthy of all of your devotion.
It's worthy of your attention. That's worthy of your gaze.
It's worthy of all that you have.
It exalts Christ which was what makes it successful.
We proclaim the excellencies of God.
Just as the apostles proclaim, the excellencies of God, we
Proclaim Christ and him crucified just as the apostles,
Proclaim Christ and him crucified.
Why? Because it's the message that
God has ordained for the victory.
It's the message that God has ordained to be light in the
darkness. We don't twist it.
We don't change it. We don't make it more.
Palpable to Sinners, we say that, if you want to live, you
must die to yourself. Repent of your sins, and turn in
faith to Christ Jesus, and that's light. and I tell you, as
Believers that if you want to experience Joy, don't align
yourself with things of the world any longer but turn and
repent and put your faith fully in Christ, not half-heartedly.
Be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord.
We'll see joy in your home. Joy in your marriage joy.
In your parents, enjoying your work, join your service to the
Lord, joy in every area of your life.
You want that devote yourself to the King of Kings.
The vote yourself to the King of Kings.
Devote yourself to the one who says you have increased Joy,
they Rejoice before you as with joy at the Harvest, they are
glad amen. Devote yourself to him.
The gospel, exalts Christ, who alone is able to save to the
uttermost. All of those who draw near to
the father through him. By the gospel alone.
Sinners are saved by the gospel alone.
Redemption flows into the world. Light shines in the darkness, by
the gospel alone. God is worshipped in all the
Earth. Though, Kings and kingdoms will
fall. And great will be their demise.
They plot in vain against the Lord.
Psalm 2 says, and he laughs at them.
They will fall. And though they do you must
remember you must be a people of good cheer.
And remember that the gospel is invincible.
The gospel is undefeated, the Gates of Hell Christ.
Says will not Prevail against the gospel.
And so light shines in the darkness, the darkness has not
overcome it. And Matthew chapter 4.
We see that Jesus Christ, Matthew for just tells us
explicitly that Jesus Christ is the Fulfillment of this prophecy
in Isaiah 9. This is what we read in verses
12 through 17. Now, when he heard that John had
been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee and leaving Nazareth.
He went and lived in Capernaum by the Sea and the territory of
zebulun and naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet,
Isaiah might be fulfilled, the land of zebulun and the land of
naphtali the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan Galilee of the
The Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great
light. And for those dwelling in the
region and shadow of death on them, light has dawned.
And from that time forward, Jesus began to preach saying,
repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand messages.
The same today, Repent. For the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand. As a result, John 3, we see that
God fulfills his promise to destroy Darkness through the
birth of his son. It's extremely explicit so much
so that even I could understand it.
It's the beauty of the gospels. It's a simple message, able to
be understood by anyone by the least.
Verse 16 of John chapter 3 for God.
So loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the
world, but in order that the world might be saved through
him, whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe in him is condemned already because he has not
believed in the name of the only son of God.
And this is the Judgment that the light has come into the
world and people loved the darkness rather than the light
because their Works were evil. For everyone who does wicked
things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his
work, should be exposed, but whoever does what his true comes
to the light so that it may be clearly seen.
That his Works have been carried out in God.
Amen. Light has shone and if you
refuse to run to the light, if you refuse to come to Christ,
what is being said about you is that you love Darkness more than
light. You're clinging to Darkness and
yet you would tell us that you're not blind.
But the word is clear. You're blind.
You're unable to see But offered to you today is the grace of
Christ, the light of the Lord, able to give you eternal life.
And if you'll trust him today, if you'll turn from your sin
turn to Christ by faith, you will be saved today.
So I encourage you back of you to run away from darkness and
run into the Light of Christ. We might be lovers of Darkness
but there is good news. The light shines in the darkness
and the Darkness has not overcome it.
Amen. Believers.
Those of you in here who say you love the Lord.
I encourage you to live by the Truth live.
By the Light of Christ. Shine the Light of Christ in the
world. Do it through your words.
Do it through your Deeds. Dude, in the white that you
worship. God daily.
Matthew 5:16 says in the same way, let your light shine before
others so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to
your father who is in heaven. Amen.
Those of us who have come into the light recognize that we are
not the life. We are reflecting the light, but
we are not him. I am not able to save anyone,
but I know one, who is, amen. Let's Proclaim him until we
breathe our last and especially in this season, her claim the
excellencies of Christ. During that vent.
Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father we love you and
we praise you and we thank you Lord that you have shown great
light on us. We are so undeserving of your
grace. And if we deserved, it wouldn't
be grace. Lord, you have seen fit.
Father, you have seen fit to Grant to us grace and mercy unto
salvation. And you've done it in the face
of Christ, the word become flesh.
The word dwelling Among Us. Light has come and so Lord.
Would you help us to see it? Help us to not be blinded by
thick Darkness, but help us to Rejoice, with great joy, as
light shines in the darkness of our hearts and minds and we were
able to see Jesus and Lord as Believers, I pray that you would
help us. Help us to be men and women and
boys and girls who love the Lord.
Who don't take for granted light anymore.
But who seek to proclaim the Light of Christ and all the
Earth, take it wherever we go into our homes into our
workplaces into our marriages into our parenting into our
friendships. Or it may there be not one place
in our life. Where we refuse to let the light
of Christ in let us walk in marvelous line.
Father, especially during this Advent time.
We love you so very much. We pray these things in the Name
of Christ Amen. Amen.