Celebrate Christmas!

Celebrate Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Nov. 27, 2011

*What is the first Christmas you can remember? -- How far back can you go?

-I remember the year I got the Roy Rogers guns, hat and vest, plus Roy Rogers footie pajamas. I also got a stick-horse like Roy’s horse, “Trigger”. And tied to a string, Roy’s dog, “Bullet,” followed behind on wheels.

-I was about 5 years old at the time, but I remember.

*It doesn’t take a lot to make a 5-year-old happy at Christmas. -- But what about when you’re 25 or 55 or 85? -- And what if you’ve had a tough year?

*Can we still celebrate the joys of Christmas?

-The answer is yes! -- And this wonderful prophecy shows us how.

1. First, this Christmas: celebrate God’s generosity.

*God is generous beyond measure. James 1:17 tells us that “every good and perfect gift is from above.”

-But of all the gifts God has ever given us, the greatest of all is His Son!

-“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

*And here in Isaiah 9:6, we can celebrate that “unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.”

[1] But who are the “us” in that verse? -- Well, for one thing, we are typical people.

*Jesus Christ the Son of God is given to typical, ordinary, everyday people.

-Two thousand years ago, it was a typical, young carpenter, forced by the government to take his very pregnant bride on a trip to Bethlehem. Then there was no room in the inn. And then the baby came, born in a manger.

-So unto young men facing the challenges of life “a Child is born, a Son is given.

*But also think about His mother. She was a typical teenage girl in many ways. Yes, Mary was full of faith and obedient to God’s will. But at the same time, she was overwhelmed by the work of God in her life. Mary didn’t begin to understand it all.

-So unto young women facing an uncertain future “a Child is born, a Son is given.

*Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is given to typical people like you and me.

[2] But He is also given to troubled people.

*The words of this prophecy were first written to a troubled people over 700 years before Jesus was born. Isaiah 7:2 helps us see the trouble, because there: “. . . it was told to the house of David, saying, ‘Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.’ So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.”

*In other words, people of Israel were shaking like a leaf!

-They were troubled. They were in trouble, because enemy armies were marching against them. And in this case, it was their own fault, because they had been rebelling against God.

*But troubled people can say, “Unto us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given!”

-Jesus Christ the Son of God is given to troubled people.

-To the sick, weak, lonely, sinful, downhearted and lost He is given.

*Jesus is given to me, to you, and to all who will believe.

-So this Christmas celebrate God’s generosity.

2. And celebrate God’s glory.

*There is so much glory to celebrate in vs. 6, so many extraordinary things about the Son who was given to us! Nobody is like Jesus Christ! He is astonishing and miraculous, great beyond the bounds of human ability.

[1] First, we see that one day “the government will be upon His shoulder.”

-Jesus Christ is strong enough to carry the weight of the whole world on His shoulder. He is strong enough to rule the universe in perfect goodness and wisdom. And one day He will! All rebellious evil will be put down forever.

-This is one reason why we celebrate His glory.

[2] But also in vs. 6, His name shall be called “Wonderful,” because He IS wonderful in every way!

*Think about the wonders of Jesus Christ.

-Travis Moore reminds us that the Lord’s birth was wonderful.

-His life was wonderful.

-His teaching was wonderful.

-His miracles were wonderful.

-His transfiguration was wonderful.

-His death was wonderful.

-His resurrection was wonderful.

-His return to Heaven was wonderful. (1)

*Jesus is wonderful in His goodness, in His teaching, in His power and in His mission. Everything about Jesus is wonderful!

-That’s why we celebrate His glory.

[3] But also in vs. 6, His name shall be called “Counselor.”

*Jesus Christ wants to be your Counselor.

-And what a counselor He is!

-He sees all -- He knows all.