This is Christmas: A promise fulfilled
Isaiah 9:1-7
December 3, 2017
It’s a promise of hope v.2
It’s a promise of joy v.3
John 16:22 James 1:2-3 1 Peter 1:8-9 Romans 15:13
It’s a promise of victory vv.4-5
It’s a promise unfolding vv.6-9
Opening Illustration of someone in deep darkness (physically/emotionally)…buried in rubble, then a light led them out???
(Need laser pointer)
Turn to Isaiah 9:1-7 this morning as we begin our Christmas series. I love Christmas! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Joke about Christmas…
And yet, it’s a very difficult time for many, many people.
v.1 Map of Israel
Way of the Sea; Via Maris: most important trade route between Egypt and Mesopotamia… https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T7sjB_IW3mQ/T1XljSogvUI/AAAAAAAAAuk/71O_SqPlK90/s1600/kings-highway.png or https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/map-gallery/v/~/media/801615FD7027401DBA045547FB6FE519.ashx
…came up out of Egypt along the sea coast on the west side of Israel, but then cut across just west of the Sea of Galilee because there was an opening in the mountain range that would take them quicker over to Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia.
The region around Galilee had been under great distress: they had been raided by Ben Hadad of Syria, raped, pillaged and deported by the Assyrian king Esarhadden, the Phoenicians had stolen and enslaved some of them; foreign powers had colonized among them and undoubtedly many of them were sex slaves by the intruders and so some of the offspring were not truly blue blood Hebrews. So they were not only afflicted by those outside the country but they were despised by those in the south around Jerusalem.
It was to these Galileans that the Messiah first appeared with His gospel message; with His good news. “He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Matthew 4:13
This had been promised in Deuteronomy 33:18 and in Psalms 68:27 and the Great Prophet Isaiah picked up on this and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote this passage over 600 years before Jesus appeared on the scene. As Isaiah peers into the future, he sees a reversal of fortunes.
This promise was to a people who had suffered great indignity, great humiliation, great physical pain, the loss of loved ones to rape and murder and enslavement and deportation. It was fulfilled initially when Jesus came. And it still is a promise that can be fulfilled in our lives today.
It’s a promise of hope v.2
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness.”
The people in that region of the world were oppressed; their future nothing but gloom and despair. But Isaiah was infusing them with hope: the Messiah will come one day and you’ll see God’s plan; you’ll understand your history in the Light of God; you’ll see that the Messiah will bring you hope in the midst of your difficulties.
I could point to people all over the room who are going though difficulties great and small: a daughter struggling with deep depression; a son struggling with acute fear and anxiety, a husband fighting life-threatening cancer, a widow or divorcee struggling with profound loneliness; others struggling w/loss of jobs or overwhelmed w/financial burdens.
This promise is for you. Your situation is not hopeless. It can be hope filled. Why? Because hope is not born in circumstances; it supersedes circumstance. It comes from the Light, the light of Jesus. A few weeks I did the funeral for one of our families who had lost their 18 yr old daughter in an automobile accident. Despite the circumstance, they had hope. Why? Because there is hope in the gospel. There is hope in Jesus. Paul wrote, “I do not want you to grieve as those without hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13
We have this hope; we have this expectation that despite circumstances, God will work this out for His glory and our good. This is a promise of hope.
It’s a promise of joy v.3
“You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.”
Notice the words joy—rejoice three times—harvest time—dividing spoils.
The Light was going to increase their joy like at harvest time and winning a battle.
I believe one of the most defining characteristics of a mature believer is the amount and the persistence of their joy.
Listen to a smattering of what the Bible says about joy: John 16:22 “Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy.” James 1:2-3 (on screen); 1 Peter 1:8-9 (on screen); Romans 15:13 (on screen)
This Christmas, regardless of circumstance, you can have hope and joy. That’s a promise. He is our hope. He is our joy. And… Jesus is our victory
It’s a promise of victory vv.4-5 (on screen)
“The day of Midian” obviously refers to the story of Gideon. Remember the story in the Book of Judges? The Midianites were harassing and steeling and kidnaping the Israelites so God raised up Gideon to go against them. They had 135k and Gideon could only muster 22k. But then God told him to pair it down to 300. And despite all odds, Gideon’s army prevailed over the enemy.
Isaiah is saying here that when the Messiah comes, He will break the powers of darkness and evil. And those of us who have taken Jesus as our Messiah can walk in victory. It breaks my heart to see so many of my peeps not walking in victory over sin. Jesus came to set the captives free. If the Son has set you free, you will be free indeed. There is no reason for you to continue to be dominated by a sin habit, no reason for you to be enslaved to fear and anxiety, no reason for you to be crushed under the weight of a difficult circumstance.
You CAN walk in victory. You CAN walk in freedom. You CAN live the abundant life Jesus came to secure and offers to us.
You may feel like your outnumbered and overwhelmed, but I can assure you, if you will spend this next year, 2018, growing in Christ and His word that all things are possible through Him. That’s a promise.
It’s a promise unfolding vv.6-9 (on screen)
When you study the Bible, you understand that there is An Already (build) A Present A Not Yet It depends on where you are in history that determines where you are in that progression.
To the oppressed Galileans, there was the not yet. The Messiah had not come yet, so all of this was in the future to them. To the followers of Jesus, there was both the Present and the Not Yet. And the same for us. The Messiah came. Jesus came. The Light came in the form of a child. And He ushered in a new age and declared Himself king of new kingdom. The Jews thought the kingdom was a geographical kingdom called Israel. But this kingdom would be different. It’s dominion and its prosperity would be without limitation.
And the government of this kingdom, the leadership of this kingdom would be on His shoulders and would be His responsibility.
This Light, this Messiah, this king would be given many titles; four of them listed here: Wonderful Counselor: gives wonderful guidance (build)
We have a great counseling staff here in our counseling center, but let me tell you, the best of them don’t measure up to the Wondeful counselor. Spend time with Him in His word, fall in love with Him, sit at his feet and listen, then follow His wonderful guidance.
Mighty God: possesses infinite power
Jesus was a man, yes; incredible man; but He was more than that. He was/is God. He was fully God so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for sin; He was fully human so that He could be the sacrifice for my sin. And His power to save is without limitation. No one here is beyond the point of no return. You’re not beyond His reach. Turn to and trust Him.
Eternal Father: the epitome of paternal benevolence.
This title does not refer to His position in the Trinity. It refers to His eternal, paternal benevolence to the children of Israel; to the children of God.
Prince of Peace: ultimate maintainer of peace
The U.S. has kind of become the defacto peace keeping force in the world, whether we like it or not. The United Nations puts peace keeping forces in hot spots around the world, but they really can’t keep the peace.
There is one who brings peace and eventually will bring peace to a broken and angry and embattled world.
This brings us back to the Already, The Present, and The Not Yet. This Messiah was promised in almost every Book of the Old Testament. But to them, there was only the Not Yet. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the prophecies and promises. That’s the Already.
And there is still A Not Yet dimension to be played out. Because all of this will not be fully realized until this thing called heaven becomes a reality for us who go to be with Him…and then one day He will return and usher in a new heaven and a new earth.
But until then, there is the present reality that we can benefit from and experience these promises today; right now: promises of hope and joy and victory; promises unfolding before our very eyes as we head into this Christmas Season.
Closing Illustration
