Merry Christmas to your family and your family. We are grateful you are joining us for our Christmas Eve celebration. We are delighted to have you join us this evening. I love hearing the strings celebrate Christmas for us and this team did not disappoint.
Christmas is celebrated for many reasons on so many levels. Many of us love the sentimental notions of Christmas. Picture the quintessential Christmas dinner with all the generations sitting around a table loaded with holiday favorites. A perfect fire crackles in the fireplace while fresh snow is falling outside. I think I have described just about every Hallmark Christmas movie in existence!
Others love how Christmas affords them a time to reflect as the year winds down. Plus, there are usually several days off from work, which is always a welcome relief. Yet, Christmas affords us a great opportunity to witness God keeping His promises.
Christmas does not begin in the gospels. Christmas did not start with Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the angels. The truth is the story of Christmas begins years before this. Seven hundred years before the Wise Men gave, the angels sang, or the shepherds came Isaiah explains what Christmas is all about. I invite you to turn your Bible to Isaiah 7 in the moments to come.
One of America’s favorite holiday songs this time of year is the classic, I’ll Be Home for Christmas. The song was originally written during WW II to honor soldiers who longed to be home for the holidays. It’s been sung by the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Kelly Clarkson, and most recently, Pentatonix. The lyrics of the song make this promise:
I'll be home for Christmas
You can plan on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents by the tree.
Promises – so easy to make, but so hard to keep.
Isaiah 7 predicts how the Messiah is to be born.
Isaiah 9 predicts how the Messiah will bless.
Throughout this evening, I want you to listen for these words: Promise made, promise kept.
1. The Promise of Christmas
Isaiah is one of history’s greatest men. A counselor to kings and a contributor to the Bible itself, Isaiah’s Old Testament book is quoted more than any other book in the New Testament, except Psalms. In fact, Jesus chooses a passage from Isaiah’s writings to preach His first recorded sermon.
One of the biggest predictions is from the prophet Isaiah predicts this: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Now, Isaiah is not alone in clearly and explicitly proclaiming the Messiah (“anointed One”) for Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Micah, Zechariah, and Malachi all make predictions about the coming Messiah. Yet, for the next few moments, let’s keep our focus on Isaiah’s eye-popping predictions
1.1 The Virgin Shall Conceive
Isaiah predicts the virgin shall conceive. Years, later the angel comes to Mary and says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:31-35).
1.2 Predicting the Future
It’s a difficult thing to predict the future. I did some digging around in those whose job it is to look into “the crystal ball” in several fields, sports, economics, and politics. And here’s what I found. Only two Sports Illustrated experts out of 11 predicted the Dallas Cowboys would make the NFL playoffs this year. In the field of American Presidential politics, few people foresaw the election of Donald Trump even days before the election. Economists have failed to accurately predict when interest rates will rise repeatedly. Yes, the practice of forecasting the future is daunting. Who could have predicted in 1940 that a then-unknown colonel in the United States Army, Dwight Eisenhower would be elected President in 1952? For those of you who have been married for a number of years, think about your marriage for a moment. Wouldn’t you have loved to be able to predict his (or her) future just before he asked you to marry him (or her)?
1.3 Would You Believe?
A man visited a church service where the pastor spoke on Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit. He was a skeptic and came up to the pastor after the service and said, “I don’t believe that story, and I don’t believe you believe it either.” The man continued, “Suppose a young woman about six months pregnant came walking into your office and said, ‘I’m expecting a baby. This is my boyfriend and he has never laid a hand on me. I conceived this baby miraculously by the Holy Spirit.’ Would you believe her?” This skeptical man thought the pastor would surely say no. To his surprise, the pastor said, “Yes, I would believe it.” Then after a dramatic pause, he said, “Yes, I would believe it if that birth had been foretold by prophets thousands of years before the baby was conceived.” “Yes, I would believe it – if an angel visited this boyfriend and said, ‘Do not be afraid to take this woman as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” “Yes, I would believe it – if when that baby was born wise men traveled from afar and brought gifts to worship him and a star guided him to where that baby lay.” “Yes, I would believe it – if her son had power over the wind and the waves, over death and disease.” “Yes, I would believe it – if her son died on a cross and was raised from the dead three days later.”
1. The Promise of Christmas
2. The Location of Christmas
Turn from Isaiah 7 to Isaiah 9 with me and pick up reading in verse 1: “In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations” (Isaiah 9:1b).
Now, this is something I had missed for years and I want the “light” to come on for you this evening. “The land of Naphtali” is along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and extends north. While “the land of Zebulun” extends from “Naphtali” toward the Mediterranean Sea. These areas were the hot zone for those despairing from war, famine, and thick darkness. God predicts, “…where the darkness had fallen, the light will show up first.”
And 700 plus years later, what happens? We pick it up in Matthew 4: “Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:12-16). Jesus spent most of His life just where Isaiah predicted. Most of the miracles and much of his brilliant teaching happened in and around the region of the Sea of Galilee.
Say it with me: Promise made, promise kept.
1. The Promise of Christmas
2. The Location of Christmas
3. The Joy of Christmas
The predictions of the prophet are stunning. The impact this child makes is eye-popping spectacular. But these predictions aren’t just for our minds but for our hearts to feel the great joy of Christmas.
3.1 Light from Darkness
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil” (Isaiah 9:2-3).
The setting of this prediction is a war-torn country in ancient Judah. The prophet uses the words “greatly distressed and hungry” to describe the scene. It’s so bad that the people “will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God.” “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness” (Isaiah 8:22). But they didn’t have eyes of faith and they didn’t understand the power of Christmas. The prophet shows up to tell them, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish” (Isaiah 9:1).
With the predicted Messiah’s coming, He turns your gloom into rejoicing (verse 3). He turns your distress into joy (verse 3). He turns your yoke of oppression into a broken yoke (verse 3). And He turns your darkness into light (verse 2). Christmas is good news because of what God has done!
In the midst of our depression, darkness, and hopeless despair we need a word from God. We need a word from heaven. And the word from heaven is really a poem in verses 1-7. I love it when God shows up, don’t you? In fact, I want to key in on something here: all the actions in this prediction are done by God. God is the only One who is acting here. And every one of Isaiah’s predictions here is written as if they already happened – everyone is written about in the past tense. The prophet is just that confident in God.
Promise made, promise kept. When you hear these words, you can draw an arch from the Old Testament to the New Testament. For the Old Testament is the promise made and the New Testament is the promise kept. You cannot rightfully read Isaiah 9 without sensing a detailed and accurate forecasting of Jesus.
3.2 A Child is Born
Listen carefully to Isaiah’s birth announcement as we continue to read in Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Now, this is the heart of Isaiah’s Christmas predictions. The prediction isn’t so much on what the child will do when He grows up but on His birth.
Take a moment to notice the relationship between the middle of verse 6 “and the government shall be upon his shoulder…” and its impact on verse 4. Our shoulders are released from our burdens when His shoulders bear weight the burden. With more than 250 names and titles of our Lord scattered from Genesis to Revelation, Isaiah brings together four in a tight, concise package that appears nowhere else in the Bible. More names of Messiah are crowded together here than anywhere else in Holy Scripture. The royal child is given four names here, and I have time to examine only three of these titles.
3.2.1 Wonderful Counselor
He is to give supernatural counsel. “And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:46). Say it with me: Promise made, promise kept.
3.2.2 Mighty God
This is huge – the child is to be … “Mighty God” – double Wow! Who could have predicted this? All of these predictions begin to have a layered effect. In addition to the Coming One being a male child, born to a Virgin woman, He will grow up in poverty, He would spend His life in Galilee, and He is to be God.
3.2.3 Prince of Peace
The Child’s coming kingdom will only increase in peace. As his rule spreads, His peace spreads. The territory of this Child’s kingdom will only progress to include more and more space where peace rules. “For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire” (Isaiah 9:5). “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). When I think about weapons being used for items of peace, I think of a story from mustard gas . Nitrogen mustard was developed to be a chemical weapon, but it eventually became the first chemotherapy drug to combat cancer. There’s a time coming when every weapon will be turned into a tool of peace! Look at the promise of this child and realize this: This child will lead us back to Eden - Happily Ever After.
3.3 The Layered Effect
Pause and marvel at this for a moment. Let me help you marvel. Peter Stoner was the Chairman of the Science Division of Westmont College and held a PhD in Astrophysics from Cornell University. He took eight of the Old Testament’s predictions and estimated the odds they would be fulfilled in just one person. Some of these predictions I have mentioned today and others are scattered through the Old Testament. He took a team of people together to answer this question: “What is the chance that any man might have lived from the day of these prophecies down to the present time and have fulfilled all of the eight prophecies?” He determined that the odds of just eight predictions becoming true in one person would be: 1 in 1028. Written out this number is 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (media team: shown on screen). You can find his research online. Let us try to visualize this. If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all of the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. To simplify, let’s take a small number 1017. Suppose that we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.
3.4 Bible Predictions and the NFL
General Manager for the NFL team, Carolina Panthers, Dave Gettleman, was born into a conservative Jewish family. He was bar mitzvahed and attended Hebrew school. But in 1983, he met the woman who would become his wife, Joanne. She was raised in a believing home and helped her husband open his heart and mind to Christ. It was not until twenty-plus years later that he converted to Christ. Chief among the things that swayed him to place his faith in Christ was the Old Testament predictions about the coming Messiah. He said of how they connected to Jesus, “It’s so powerful.” Yes, Mr. Gettleman, I agree, the Bible’s predictions of the Messiah are powerful. The Bible’s predictions have changed the hearts and minds of ancient people as well modern people.
Promise made, promise kept. Jesus is the final king, the king to end all kings.
We sing Joy to the World this time of year. If your joy in this world is based on how your life is going, then you’re going to find out life can torpedo your joy. Your life is shouting that there’s nothing to be happy. Maybe your joy is based on your grades, maybe your joy is based on your salary, or maybe your joy is based on your relationship status. If that’s true, then I’ve got good news for you. There is glorious granite underneath all of this. Just as we’ve seen this Christmas season all of His promises made have become His promises kept. He will one day keep this promise as well. I’d like for you this Christmas to be able to say, “I know who I am and I know whose I am.”
Promise made, promise kept.
Invitation
If you are born once, you will die twice. But if you are born twice, you will die only once. All of you have been born physically but many of you have never been reborn spiritually. Jesus taught us that without the second birth (spiritual rebirth) you will die not only physically but spiritually.
