MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
INTRO. There are so many beautiful Christmas hymns. But for some reason the words & music of a Christmas hymn that is not too well known, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the terrible days of the Civil War, seem to touch me the most.
It almost always causes a catch in my throat & a mist in my eyes. Three of the verses go like this:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild & sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong, & mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud & deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep!
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!"
ILL. During that Civil War, one of the oldest colleges in the United States, the College of William & Mary in historic Williamsburg, VA, was left in ruins. After the war it struggled to continue on, but finally its doors were closed.
For 7 years there were no college classes. There was no faculty to teach, no students to learn, & the rains dripped through the decaying roofs of the deserted buildings.
Yet every morning during those 7 years, through summer's sun & winter's snow the old college president went into the deserted chapel & rang the tower bells so that the people of Williamsburg would know that the college was still there.
He refused to quit. He wouldn't give up. And he won! This year, the College of William & Mary celebrated its 321st Anniversary, one of the oldest colleges in the United States of America!
Now let's go to the Bible, to a time when the northern kingdom of Israel had been laid waste & its people carried away into captivity. The southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capitol, was under attack but not yet conquered
And to many of the people, it seemed that even God had turned His back upon them. It was in that sad & depressing atmosphere that the prophet, Isaiah, lived.
But Isaiah's faith & hope was not dimmed or shaken. God spoke through him, & in Isaiah, the 9th chapter, he speaks about the coming of the Messiah.
Vs. 2 proclaims, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
And then in vs's. 6 & 7, around 700 years before Jesus came to earth, Isaiah wrote this prophecy concerning the Messiah.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, & the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
"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."
Those words came at a time when most Jews had lost all hope for the nation of Israel. Yet, even in the midst of their despair, God gives those who would listen a clear & certain message. We could almost call his words "The Bells of Christmas" also, for Isaiah is writing about Jesus.
And Isaiah's words still ring out a very special message to those who will listen. So let's take a closer look at them this morning.
I. FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN!
A. Isaiah 9:6 begins with these words, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Think for a few moments with me about that word "given."
Seven hundred years before it happened Isaiah said that Jesus would be a very special gift from God to us. Well, isn't that exactly what John 3:16 says? "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
God gave Jesus as a gift to us. Listen to Peter as he boldly proclaims this when he & John were arrested & threatened by the leaders of Israel, the Jewish Sanhedrin, for healing the lame man at the gate of the Temple in the name of Jesus.
Peter responds to them in Acts 4:12 (Phillips), "In no one else can salvation be found. For in all the world no other name has been given to men but this, and it is by this name that we must be saved!"
The most important thing to remember at Christmas is not that an angel of the Lord came to "shepherds who were watching their flocks by night," or that "suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God."
The most important thing to remember is not that Jesus was born in a stable or that the shepherds saw Him wrapped in swaddling clothes & lying in a manger, nor even about the miraculous star & the coming of the Wise Men.
Yes, all of these are glorious & wonderful events. But the most important thing to remember is the message of Christmas: "Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) We are here to worship Jesus, our Savior & our Lord.
Of all the gifts you & I receive at Christmastime, Jesus Christ & the salvation He gives is by far the most precious we will ever receive.
II. HE SHALL GOVERN - PRINCE OF PEACE
The second bell that Isaiah rings in this verse is found in these words, "And the government will be upon His shoulders." In vs. 7 he adds, "Of the increase of his government & peace there will be no end."
ILL. Some years ago, Dr. Smith, president of Washington & Lee University, agreed to be the official representative of the United States in our presentation to England of a statue of George Washington.
In his speech he said, "The British & American people have one important thing in common. We want 'peace & good will among men.' We don't want jungle law peace. Jungle law peace is the kind that comes because of fear."
He went on, "One night in the deep jungle of India we were hunting a tiger & had built our blind in a tree, & set out some water buffalo meat as bait for the tiger. Some jackals found our bait, & began fighting & quarreling over it. Other night prowlers added their voices."
"Then there sounded in the midst of all that noise the growl & snarl of a tiger. Suddenly, silence fell over the jungle. The noises ceased. The fighting & fussing were over, the jackals slunk away. All was still, not even a night bird chirped."
Dr. Smith continued, "We can have that kind of peace in the world today if we are content to be slaves."
SUM. That was the kind of peace that existed when Jesus was born. The Roman Empire was enforcing a jungle law peace.
But the peace that we want is expressed in the words of Jesus, "My peace I give unto you," & in the announcement of the angel to the shepherds, "On earth, peace, good will toward men." Jesus is the "Prince of Peace."
III. WONDERFUL COUNSELOR.
He is also the "Wonderful Counselor." In the Bible this is a special Greek word, "paraclete," which is also translated as "advocate" or "comforter." In classic Greek it means "a counselor" or "one who stands by your side."
Today, the word "counselor" is commonly used to describe one who will help you, who will defend you, advise you, strengthen you, & plead for you.
ILL. An Englishman told this story. He said, "In the 2nd World War, when London was being bombed nightly, I was an air raid warden & had charge of a large underground bomb shelter. In it, we had a piano & a good pianist.
"One night when we were all in the shelter & the heavy doors barricaded, I noticed that there were two American soldiers & their dates in there with us.
“I stood up & lifted my hand for silence. Then I pointed to the four & ordered them to come to the piano & sing us a song. With just a bit of hesitation, they came. After a moment of consultation, they pushed aside the sheet music & opened a hymnbook to that old hymn, 'Standing on the Promises of God.'"
"The pianist played it through once & then their voices in beautiful harmony sang the first verse. A hush fell over the whole crowd. They sang it with such deep feeling that we knew they believed every word of it. When they sang the second verse, Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt & fear assail,
By the living word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
someone in the crowd with a low, husky voice said reverently, 'Amen.'"
"On the last verse a tear ran down the cheek of the girl who was singing soprano. When they came to the chorus, one of the boys beckoned to the crowd to join them. With quiet, half choked voices we sang it together. Then I said, 'Let's bow our heads in prayer.' I think most of them were already praying."
The Englishman who was telling the story, went on to say, "I've never been in a church service where I felt so deeply the presence of God."
IV. MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER
Jesus is also the "Mighty God," & the "Everlasting Father." One of the reasons Jesus left the "ivory palaces" & came to live among men was to reveal to us that God is not only a God of power, but a God of love & tenderness.
If we pieced together the pictures that Jesus painted of God, we would have a portrait of a loving Heavenly Father one whose power & might we would never fear but a mighty God who is an everlasting friend.
ILL. The story is told of Shah Abbis, a Persian Monarch who loved his people very much. To know & understand them better, he would mingle with his subjects in various disguises.
One day, disguised as a peasant, he came to the public baths & wandered around for a while. Just before noon, he wandered into the boiler rooms, where a workman was about to partake of his lunch.
He was the keeper of the fires at the baths. Shah Abbis sat down & visited with him, & by & by the fireman offered him part of his meager lunch. The emperor accepted.
A couple of days later the emperor returned. This time he brought his lunch with enough food for both of them, but not the kind that would be served on an emperor's table. He was careful not to do anything that might reveal his identity.
Again & again Shah Abbis returned just to talk with him. And a deep, warm affection grew in his heart for that simple, honest fireman.
One day, after they had finished their lunch, he told the fireman who he was & produced the proof. The fireman's face turned white & his hands went up in fear.
The emperor said, "Please don't be afraid. I'm exactly the same man that you've been eating lunch with every day. I don't want you to be afraid of me. I want to give you the nicest gift that you have ever received. What would you like to have?"
Slowly the fear left the fireman & a smile came over his face. He said, "I've always thought of the emperor as so powerful, so strong, so mighty that I trembled whenever I thought of him. I didn't know you were like this, so warm & so kind.
“It's been a joy to have you come by. As for the gift, I don't want anything costly. Give me just what you have been giving me. Come back at times & just sit down & talk with me."
Do you remember the words of the angel in Matthew 1:23? "They will call Him Immanuel, which means, 'God with us.'" That's the message of Christmas!
Ring the bells, ring the bells
Let the whole world know
Christ was born on Christmas Day
Many years ago.
INVITATION
(Note: My original draft of this message was prepared in 1988, back before I began recording the sources for my messages, illustrations, etc. If anyone knows any of those sources, please let me know. I will be happy to attribute them.)
