FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN
Isaiah 9:6,7
Last Friday our Friday morning English class went to Chiba Prefecture to visit Pastor and Mrs. Wada. They have a nice home and they attend a home church. Pastor Wada said he is asked to preach at other churches, such as Nagarayama, Yashio, Koshigawa and Kashiwa. We had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant and after that they took us to a park overlooking the runway at Narita Airport. We were so close, I felt I could reach out and touch the 777’s.
Please pray for 2 members of this class, Mrs. Hida and Mrs. Murakami. They are very sweet and caring women, but they do not believe in Jesus Christ. In a discussion with one of them a few weeks ago, we asked her a question about God. She replied, “I’m sorry but I cannot talk about God.” It is very sad because these people will go to the shrine on New Years Day to worship their gods’ but they do not believe in the one true God. So please pray for them and several other English students who do not believe in Jesus. We are getting ready for the English School Christmas party and they will hear a message from Pastor Takao and me. So please pray that they will hear the message and come to believe in Jesus.
After coming back to Soka, we had a surprise birthday party for Nana at Graeme and Mariko’s apartment. Nana brought some cakes with her of which one was blueberry. I love blueberries so I had a piece of blueberry cake. But I ate some and it tasted funny. It didn’t taste like blueberries, but I couldn’t figure out what it tasted like. Then after another bite I realized it tasted like bananas. So I asked Nana if there were any bananas in the cake. She said she was sorry, but she forgot to tell me, there were bananas in it. I want you to know I didn’t get sick, but I’m very careful now to ask what is in a certain food before I eat it.
Did you notice Handel’s Messiah playing when you came into this chapel? I always look forward to listening to it at Christmas. I have also seen several performances of it. For example, in Dallas it is performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. There is a full orchestra and a 200 voice choir performing it. Also there are 4 soloists who have professional voice training. It is a very beautiful peace of music and it is about the Messiah, Jesus Christ whose birth we are going to be celebrating.
I have also enjoyed listening to our choir as they have been practicing Hallelujah. It is a difficult piece of music and you all sound wonderful. I’m looking forward to hearing you sing it at Christmas.
Some of you have heard me tell this story, but I want the rest of you to hear it. Shortly after I arrived in Soka, a choir member asked me if I would like to join the choir. I told her I was very busy with English school, the English Bible class and the English worship service and that I probably would not have time to sing in the choir. I also told her, “You do not want me in the choir.” She asked me a few times to join the choir but I simply told her I was too busy. Then she heard me sing “Sue doesn’t have any glue,” at a Christmas party and she never asked me again to join the choir.
For many of you Advent is a joyful time of year. I know that in my country it is a time to be with family. And I always enjoy all the Christmas decorations, giving and getting Christmas cards and presents. And of course it is the time of year we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But for many of you this is not a joyful time of year. Some of you might have lost family members. Eight years ago, my mother died and we held her memorial service the day before Christmas. It might be a lonely time for you, if you don’t have family. A couple of months ago, I remember 2 different days I was riding the train, and the trains were delayed. I was told it was because of an accident.
I found out later that these accidents were most likely suicides. In some of my English classes we were talking about this. I asked my students why people commit suicide. They told me people do it because of loss of job or home, problems in school and other reasons. In my country the number of suicides increases at this time of year, especially for those who are alone. Because Christmas for us is usually a time to be with family. But whatever reason people commit suicide it is usually because they are in a hopeless situation, in which there is no relief. This is sad because I do not believe there is any situation beyond God’s help.
For today I want you to imagine you are in a hopeless situation. I want you to imagine being in a nation where you are being taken away to a strange land and ruled by people who are not of your country. And your situation appears truly hopeless. There are no human answers for your situation. The only answer is for God to send a deliverer.
This is what God’s people, Israel were experiencing because they were taken into captivity by another nation. But God also promised deliverance for them. To understand this we are going to look at a passage in Isaiah. This is the passage you heard playing when you came into this chapel.
Time does not permit me to share the whole book of Isaiah with you. But I would encourage you to read it. It is a long book with 66 chapters, but it is a book of hope and encouragement. As a matter of fact Isaiah is quoted over 400 times in the New Testament.
God had a special relationship with His people, Israel. He made promises to them and one of those promises was that of the Davidic Covenant. This can be found in 2 Samuel 7:12,13.
2 Samuel 7:12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
God made a covenant with David; that one of his descendants would rule over his kingdom. His rule would have no end; it would be forever.
If you study the Old Testament, you will see that Israel was often disobedient. They did not obey God; as a matter of fact, they often made gods for themselves.
Now when God makes a promise, He keeps it. But disobedience to His commands results in judgment, and that is what happened to Israel. As a matter of fact Isaiah was written more than 700 years before Jesus Christ was born. And in Isaiah, the Assyrians conquered Israel. They took Israel and her people and it became part of Assyria. Because of their disobedience to God, they were taken into exile.
But there is also good news. God is a God who keeps His covenant. And as we read, He made a promise to David. And despite Israel’s disobedience He will keep His covenant and He will deliver them through a Messiah. He will save Israel and rule over her in perfect righteousness and justice.
One of my seminary professors said that if you read the book of Isaiah, you will see God’s glory and holiness displayed through His judgment of sin and His deliverance and blessing to Israel.
Today’s message from Isaiah is to Israel in Assyrian captivity. And the passage we are going to look at is one you often hear at Christmas. It is God’s promise of deliverance to Israel.
Let me start by saying that if you have ever tried to read the Old Testament prophetic books they are difficult to understand. They are often written in poetry and if you’re like me, I have difficulty understanding poetry. The prophets dealt with the sinfulness of the people at the time they were written. But they also look to the future and promises deliverance.
And if you take time to read the Old Testament prophets I think you will be blessed. Because you will see a God, who in spite of Israel’s disobedience, still keeps all His promises.
In this passage Isaiah writes to God’s people who are in captivity. It is a message of hope because God is going to send a deliverer to Israel.
Let’s first look and see what Isaiah says about this deliverer.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
He first says that a child will be born; one who will rule. Do you notice that there are 4 names given for this child? Each name consists of a noun with an adjective to describe it. Isaiah uses these names to help Israel understand the ideal character of this Davidic ruler they long for. Let’s look at each one.
First, He is the Wonderful Counselor. Now I don’t know about you but when I was little I used to go to camp. And the first person we would meet is our counselor. He would be in charge of our group. He would be one we would go to if we needed help, but he was also one who would discipline us if we didn’t behave. So he could be both the good guy and the bad guy. And I remember several counselors I did not like and I would try very hard to make it miserable for them.
In this verse, Isaiah speaks of the Wonderful Counselor. A counselor is defined as one who has military strategy. Most high ranking military officers are those who have outstanding strategy. That is they know how to plan a war so that they win. They are usually the ones who make decisions as to each course of action. They can devise their strategy so they can plan each move.
This Wonderful Counselor is one who has supernatural wisdom. People will listen to Him, as He teaches God’s ways. Wouldn’t you want a counselor like this?
This child is also called, Mighty God. He will have supernatural power and represent God in battle. He will do what no human ruler can do. And in spite of Israel’s disobedience He will intervene.
The next title is Everlasting Father. That is this child will rule for eternity and He will protect His people. Did you notice He is called Everlasting Father? Remember in the Trinity the Father and Son are distinguished from each other. But they are each fully God, along with the Holy Spirit. This child will also be a protector of His people and He is pictured as such. Everlasting suggests a long reign, and it is ultimately Jesus who will have an everlasting reign over His people.
And finally, this child is the Prince of Peace. Have you noticed that peace is usually established through military strength? This child will establish peace through defeating His enemies. And He will bring in an everlasting peace. Today usually a peace treaty is signed to indicate peace between nations. But it is only a document written on a piece of paper, and it can be torn up.
The Prince of Peace will rule over His kingdom in righteousness, conforming to God’s holy character and His demands. Israel will be in a right relationship with God.
So this is the character of the promised Child. Most of you know that next year we will elect a new President in my country. If I were to ask people what they wanted in a President, I would probably get different answers. But Isaiah describes the ideal ruler who will rule over God’s people.
But he’s not finished yet. Look at the characteristics of His reign.
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
First He will have absolute rule with no end. I don’t know how it is in Japan, but in my country, a President can hold office for 8 years. I was talking with one of my English students about different Presidents. We have had some who were popular Presidents and whom we would have liked to see stay in office, but their terms ended. There were other Presidents whom we were happy to see their terms end. I won’t mention any names. But this ruler will have power over all and He will bring peace without end.
I remember as a child I went to a private school. This was back in 1962 and at that time there was the Cold War with the United States and Russia. There was the lingering possibility of nuclear war between the two countries, in which millions of people would die. And it was very scary. We would often talk about how we would like to see peace, when both countries would put away their weapons and there would be no threat of war. This ruler will bring lasting peace that is not dependant on a treaty. It will be dependant on God’s covenant promise to Israel.
Remember I said earlier that this ruler will be a descendant of David? He will rule from Jerusalem and His reign will be characterized with justice and righteousness forever.
The good news we have is that God will bring this about. He is always looking out for His people and in spite of the fact that they often disobey Him He still takes care of us.
I have a question for you. Isaiah wrote these more than 700 years before Jesus Christ was born. Most likely his readers were looking for a deliverer to come immediately. Do you think Isaiah knew who this Child would be?
We have the advantage of having the entire Bible available to us. In Isaiah’s time and in Jesus time as well, the people didn’t.
When you read the Old Testament prophets, remember that they were written to a people who were disobedient to God. God promised His people that when they obeyed Him there would be blessings, but if they disobeyed Him there would be judgment. This is what happened to Israel. Most of the prophets wrote to their people with their present situation in mind. But while the prophets did not know the future, God did. And so these Old Testament prophetic books also have future fulfillment in mind.
Please remember that the Bible was inspired by God. A good verse to remember is 2 Timothy 3:16.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
I could give a whole message on this verse alone, but remember, it is God who guided the
writing of His word.
And there is another verse that tells us that the message did not originate with the Old Testament prophets, but that they simply conveyed it from God.
2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
And He had the future in mind too. What the Old Testament prophets probably did not know, is that they were writing of One who would one day come and fulfill every one of these promises. Earlier I said that Isaiah is quoted more than 400 times in the New Testament. Much of what he wrote about was fulfilled when Jesus came the first time. But the Bible also tells us about a time when Jesus will come a second time. Much of what Isaiah wrote about will be fulfilled when Jesus returns.
And one day this Child who was rejected by His own people and sentenced to die on a cross will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will bring in a kingdom that He will rule over forever. He will bring about justice and peace that we all so long for.
I looked up the definition of Advent on Wikipedia. It defined Advent as the coming of the Savior. For us Advent is a period of preparation and celebration of the birth of the Savior.
One of my seminary professors also said that “There is a God who is coming back, and our eternal destiny is determined by our response to Him in this life.
And the question I have for you is, do you believe in Him. Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Because this Advent is all about Him. I might have shared this with you before, but I was surprised to find out that Christmas is not a holiday in Japan. In my country it is a holiday, and usually a time for being with family. For example a couple of years ago I flew to Dallas on Christmas day. Almost all stores and places of business were closed and there were very few cars on the road. Most people were at home with their families.
I might also add that Dallas is much commercialized. Most of the stores are decorated and this is the time of year they do the most business. I would like to know what places in Tokyo are the most decorated for Christmas. I’ll probably go the Roppongi Hills again to see the decorations. In Dallas, there are neighborhoods where every house has Christmas lights.
But I can also tell you that most people miss the true meaning of Christmas. There is no mention of the One whose birth we are celebrating.
I have some friends in Dallas who lost their daughter 3 years ago to cancer, and it was a very difficult time for them. But we were also celebrating the fact that she will celebrate Jesus’ birthday with Him in heaven.
This is the time of year when we are preparing for and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. If you have never believed in Him, I would encourage you to do so and make this the best Christmas you have ever had. If you are in a situation where there is no hope, Jesus Christ is your hope. I heard a pastor say that for the person who doesn’t believe in Jesus, it may appear to be a hopeless end. But for the person who does believe in Jesus, He makes it an endless hope.
We are preparing for and celebrating the birth of the One Isaiah wrote about whom one day will rule in perfect holiness and righteousness. His kingdom will have no end and there will be everlasting peace.
I’d like to close with a verse we all know. It tells us of God’s gift to us.
John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This same Child Isaiah wrote about is the One who God gave to us and who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. Please make sure you believe in Him.
