The Christmas Connection Part II Isaiah 9 12/11/16 The promise of a better light! The Light/Christ reveals a Promise of : I. A Promise of Hope in the midst of despair 1. The world promises hope and delivers despair. It promises riches and delivers poverty. It promises happiness and delivers sadness and it promises life and brings death. God brings true hope, riches, happiness, and life. 2. There will be victory and Joy. We read that God s people will have joy from the promise of peace and victory. 3. So too we receive the promise of Joy with peace in our lives. Peace not as the world gives but as Christ gives. Victory no matter what happens for the war has been won! II. A Promise of Honor/new identity 1. God honors those who seek Him. 2. Through the light (Christ) He has made a people who were lost into new creations, with a new identity as children of God! III. A Promise of an everlasting Future a) Wonderful counselor b) Mighty God c) Everlasting Father d) Prince of Peace! Challenge: Who will you put your trust in? The World or in the true light? 1
Manuscript The Christmas connection part II (Isaiah 9) Good evening/morning. We are continuing our series titled the Christmas connection. The intent of this series is that we can reconnect Christmas to its original purpose. Last week we looked at Isaiah 7 and I had so much fun I wanted to continue to look at Isaiah. There are numerous prophecies of the birth of Christ and thus Christmas connections in the book of Isaiah. And there is a reason why God s people were in desperate need. They were in bondage to sin, which led to bondage and captivity to the Assyrian nation. Simply put, the book of Isaiah was written to people struggling with dark and desperate times and in desperate need of savior. It is in this context that we read Isaiah chapter 9. But first a little more background to chapter 9 of Isaiah. The time is around 734 B.C. At this time Assyria invaded the Northern Kingdom Israel and conquered several cities in Israel (2 Kings 15:29). As a result, many people were deported to Assyria and Israel became a vassal state. As a result of the war with Assyria there was death of thousands and massive destruction of property, and all loss of hope. The defeat of Israel and deportation of the Northern tribes produced a crisis of faith in which the people were confronted with the possibilities that God might have abandoned them. During this crisis in their lives, many Israelites doubted God s goodness and God s power to save. Some wondered if God s people would ever again find peace and unity. They were desperate and searching for anything that could help them in their time of need, even consulting mediums for help. We read of their desperate need in the last part of Isaiah 8:19-22. Okay, here we read that the people of Israel were in desperate need and seeking out mediums and spiritist and pretty much anyone who could offer them hope. But God is rebuking them and telling them why consult the dead for the living. Rather consult God s instructions and the testimony of warning. Then He says if anyone does not speak according to this, which is God s word, they have no light of dawn, meaning they have no hope, no morning that comes to do away with the darkness. Then we read a further warning from God that those who follow this path will end up in worse destruction and will not find what they want then they will even look up to God and curse Him. Unfortunately, we see the same predicament with people today. We may not be a vassal country or suffer from the same trials Israel was suffering but people today still go through difficult times. And unfortunately, people are still looking for everything under the sun to help them except to the true Son, and the true light that is Jesus. For instance, less than a block down on this street of Santa Monica we have Mediums and Spiritist offering tarot readings or fortune telling. And why do you think people go to those mediums? People go because they want hope for the future and guidance. And the truth is that whether they are fakes or truly able to access spirits they are deceivers, because only God can tell the future and bring hope and guidance. Only He can bring true light. If we look to the dead or the world we will be deceived. Now, I want this to be practical for the church today and I would guess that the majority of Christians, I hope, are not going to mediums but are seeking the Word of God. That being said, we as Christians do tend to look to other things for hope instead of God. Especially, in times of darkness and trials we often turn to our own wisdom or the world s wisdom for guidance instead of God s. And the result is the same. Whether you are consulting the dead or the living, only God can bring true light, wisdom, and deliverance. Anything else other than God 2
will disappoint. But this is not God s desire. He has promised light, and that light brings new revelation. For light is meant to reveal and that is what Christ has done. He has revealed new promises in Him and through His birth for all of those who are willing to believe. Lets look at the new revelation found in Isaiah 9. Read Isaiah 9:1-7. Okay there is a ton of cool stuff in this passage and all of it connects to Christmas, for it is all a promise of Christ. It is all a promise of a better light. To tie this passage even further to the birth of Christ I want to read John 1:1-5, which is the fulfillment of Isaiah 9. Here we read about Christ as the true light, which darkness cannot overcome. God is so good. He understands that the people of Israel need deliverance from Assyria but more than that they need deliverance from sin, which was what led them into captivity. God s promise of the true light was going to not only deliver them from captivity of people but also from the ultimate captor sin. The people were looking to false lights and God is promising the true light. Just like today. People turn to all sorts of things for hope in the midst of darkness, but none of them are the true light, who is Christ. The true lights promises things only He can deliver. In this chapter of Isaiah we see several revelations of what the true light, that is Christ promises. First we see the promise of true hope for a new light in the midst of despair. Right away in verse 1 of Chapter 9 we read that there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In verse 2 we read that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. And those who are living in a land of deep darkness a light has dawned! It takes an outside source of light to light up the darkness, and that s exactly what Jesus did when He came at Christmas time. And that is what Christ does when He lights up our hearts. Isaiah says, You have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of the oppressor (vs 4). God is promising hope and that hope is fulfilled in the birth of Christ. We read that there will be increased joy as at a harvest or as a warrior rejoices at peace. In verse 5 we read that every warriors boot used in battle and garment will be burned. It will be burned because the will be no more need for wars for the ultimate battle will have been won. And then we are told why in Isaiah 9:6-7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. He is the prince of peace. It was this promise from God, of a new light dawning, that brought new hope in the midst of despair. Now understand, the Israelites still were dealing with Assyrian captivity and would until Assyria was defeated by Babylon, but they now had a promise from God that He did not forget them and that He has a plan, and that plan is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The foretelling of the birth of Christ was a sign of hope. Today, we are not in captivity to a foreign nation but we still struggle with trials and even at times darkness and despair. For we live in a dark world that is corrupted and twisted by sin. Maybe darkness has invaded your life. It could be because of a lost job, a lost loved one, lost health or other disturbing family situations. Maybe you are feeling defeated by sin. But we have reason to hope even more than the Israelites. For unlike the Israelites in captivity to Assyria who had the promise of deliverance we have the fulfillment of deliverance. The promise for the birth of Christ has happened, this is what Christmas is about. We have access to the living light. We no longer need to live in darkness, fear or captivity to sin, for the light of the world has been born and lives today. And He is the only Light that knows no power failure. We read in John 1:5 that light has shown in darkness and darkness has not overcome it! There is still a ton of darkness in the world, 3
but when true light comes darkness cannot extinguish the light. Even the shadow of death flees at His presence. Jesus is the true light (John 1:9) - as opposed to the false light of paganism, or the relative light of the types and shadows of the Old Covenant. His is original light as opposed to reflected light: the light of the sun as opposed to the light of the moon. His light is full, as opposed to partial. Understand this, we will still face trials and struggles until Christ returns, but the difference is, that now because of Christ birth we do not face them alone. When face health issues, relational crisis, and dark times we can rest assured even if we don t know how it will work out that God is in control. Because of the birth of the light we can have the light living within us; guiding us, strengthening us and protecting us. Thus, even though we live in a dark world we need not live in darkness because we have the light. Rather we can live in hope knowing that darkness cannot over come the light. This is what Christmas is about and this is the promise of the true light. Not only do we see the promise of new hope in the midst of darkness, but we also see the promise of a new honor to a despised people. In Isaiah 9:1 we read that He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor Galilee of the nations. Okay, to understand this we need to know a little geography and history. Both Zebulun and Naphtali were on the borders inside of the region of Galilee, they exist within Galilee, just like OB exists within San Diego. But they were also on the boarder just like San Diego, so when the Assyrians first attacked both those places received the first and worst of the attack and thus were considered more forsaken, or humbled. But in addition, Galilee was full of Gentiles, who the Jews hated. This is why in John 1:46 the people first questioned Jesus s authenticity because He came from Nazareth, which also is in Galilee. But here is the cool thing with the coming of the light we read the promise that God will honor Galilee of the nations. Let me point out the awesomeness of this promise for you and I We are the Galilee of the nations. This prophecy in Isaiah 9:1 was not only to restoration of hope for God s people but of redemption for all who would believe in God. Through Christ, all who believe in Him, are given a new and greater honor than ever. Read John 1:9-13. This is a fulfillment of the promise of Isaiah 9! Look at what Isaiah and John are promising. The light, that is Christ, came into the world. He came to the Jews, but the Jews did not accept Him, but to those who did, He gave them great honor, exactly what Isaiah said. What is that honor? It is a new identity. In Christ, we have become children of God, not born of human decent, nor of human decision but born of God! How awesome is that! Through faith in Christ we have been made new creations and this has happened because a light came into the world and that light is Jesus. Think about all of the practical implications and thus Christmas connections. We have all been humbled and humiliated at different times. We have all felt despised or rejected. But in Christ we have a new identity. Not an identity based on our successes or failures but in Christ. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares we are new creations the old is gone and the new is here. Let me ask you, are you carrying a stigma as a result of some failure? Have you lost your honor in some way? Maybe you have made some poor decisions? Whatever your situation may be, Jesus, as the Light of the world, can bring honor and hope back into your life. A quote I came across says, Our past memories should never be greater than our future dreams! Can you dream in a new way during 4
Christmas this year? Because of the birth of Christ we have a new honor and a new identity. You no longer need to judge or value yourself by how you look, how much possessions you have obtained, how successful you are in the world s eyes or anything but what Christ has done in you and through you. If you have accepted Christ as your light, your Lord and Savior then one of the greatest gifts we have from the birth of Christ is a new honor, a new position and identity and that is the child of the almighty God, the light of the world. I want to leave you with one more promise we see in the birth of Christ found in Isaiah 9. Read again Isaiah 9:7. Not only do we have the promise of hope in the midst of darkness, and the promise of a new honor/identity, but we also see the promise of an everlasting future. We read that the light is not only called mighty God and wonderful counselor but that the greatness of his kingdom and peace will have no end! It is eternal and He will establish it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. You see what the world promises is temporal; God promises eternity. This world and Satan promises hope and deliver despair. They promise riches and deliver poverty. They promise happiness and deliver sadness and promise life but bring death. Only Christ brings true hope for only He is the true light of the world. Only Christ promises and can deliver eternity, an everlasting future of hope. The truth is that death hangs over us all. We are all guaranteed to die, but because of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ we too can be born again and resurrected to live forever. But we need to not just physically saved but spiritually saved as well. This is why Christ was born, to defeat sin itself. Because of sin we are born spiritual separate from God s presence forever. However, as a result of Jesus' birth and subsequent sacrifice, a way was opened for all mankind to receive God's forgiveness for sin, and the hope of eternal life. Isaiah talks about a blessed future filled with peace, justice and righteousness (9:7). Therefore, by inviting Jesus into your life tonight, you can find hope for more than a season. He will also remove the 'shadow of spiritual death' hanging over you. No gift is more needed by a dying world than a life-giving Savior. Are you willing to trust this Jesus during the Christmas season? What we need this Christmas is not just a Christmas present, but His presence! 5
Scriptures for Isaiah 9: The Christmas connection part II 12/11/16 Isaiah 8:19-22 Isaiah 9:1-7 John 1:1-5 Isaiah 9:6-7 Isaiah 9:1 John 1:9-13 Isaiah 9:7 6