Anticipating Christmas

Title: Anticipating Christmas

Theme: Show how we can miss Christmas by getting caught up in the emotion.

Text: Isaiah 9:1 - 7

Introduction

Illustration: One night a wife found her husband standing over their infant’s crib. As she watched him looking down at their very first baby, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. Touched by this unusual display and deep emotions, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband. "A penny for your thoughts," she said. "It’s amazing" he replied. "I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like that for only $46.50." What’s that saying? Some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Sometimes when you concentrate on the details of a problem, you lose sight of the overall picture; in other words you focus on the unimportant, rather than on the important things. You miss the big picture.

Israel had a hard time seeing the “big picture”. There was a lot of gloom going around. Gloom in the darkness of captivity. Gloom in the darkness of the stronghold of the enemy.

(Isa 9:1) Nevertheless the gloom (referred to in 8:22) will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.

Nevertheless connects us to the previous chapter.

(Isa 8:22) Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

Israel is a nation who was esteemed by God yet heavily oppressed. They were living in darkness. They could not see that they had stepped away from God and now they were missing something.

(Isa 9:2) The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

There is optimism on the horizon. There is anticipation. The people who have been living in and walking in the darkness can see glimmer of hope on the horizon. The sun is coming up. God has not left his people but the light is shining again.

(Isa 9:3) You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

There should be joy that leaps forth.

Why joyous?

(Isa 9:4) For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.

Isaiah 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Isaiah 9:5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

This verse is referring to the noise of the enemy as it forms the army and marches to the city. It is a reference to the Assyrian army that is organizing and marching. Chariots, horses, army boots. Then there is the garments that will be stained with blood that will fuel the fire.

But can I tell you something the Lord spoke to me.

What confuses the enemy?

Praise

The prayers of the people praying in the Spirit with moaning and groaning that cannot be uttered.

The Garments represent the work of the enemy who has cut us and torn us down. Yet God is going to use this to lite the fire in our life.

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. – Acts 16:25-26

“thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15

“When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.” – 2 Chronicles 20:21-22