SERMON: FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN

  

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 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.

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

Of the greatness 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.

 

            -- when I was about 5 years old, our family took a trip to West Virginia -- on the way, we stopped off in Tennessee at a place called the Lost Sea -- it is the world's largest underground lake -- the Lost Sea is found deep inside of a mountain as part of an extensive cave system called Craig Caverns

            -- I remember walking down a steep descent into the cave -- and then we followed a lighted path that wound us farther inside the mountain until we came to the lake itself -- we got into glass-bottom boats and spent about 30 minutes riding on the water and looking at the pale white fish that would come up to the boat -- he told us how all the fish were blind because there was no need for sight in the depths of the lake

            -- eventually, we reached the other side of the lake and we all got out of the boat and began to follow the guided trail back to the opening of the cavern

            -- as we were walking along, the guide began to tell us about all the people who had used the cave in the past -- from Native Americans to Confederate soldiers during the Civil War -- he said that every one of them had one thing in common -- they all needed light

            -- about that time, the guide stopped and asked everyone to stand completely still and he had parents grab the hands of their kids -- he then turned off a light switch that was on the wall of the cave -- and we were immediately plunged into total and complete darkness

            -- you've heard the phrase, "It was so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face" -- this was literally that dark -- it was a pervasive dark -- almost tangible -- almost a physical presence --void of any hint of a glimmer of light at all

            -- and to this day, I still remember standing there trembling, holding my mother’s hand, and hoping for the light to return

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing to celebrate together advent -- advent is a season of hope for a people who are walking in darkness longing for the Light -- it is the time in the church when we prepare our hearts and our souls for the coming of the Messiah -- first, His coming at Christmas as the baby born in a manger -- then His coming in our hearts in salvation and with the forgiveness of sins -- and finally, His return as our Lord and King when He comes to establish His throne in Jerusalem and reign over us forever

            -- Advent is a season when we look for the Light that is to come and we rejoice in the hope we have in Christ

            -- this morning, we are going to be looking at the familiar verses from Isaiah 9:6-7, where Isaiah proclaims the hope of Israel realized through the return of the King

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Isaiah 9:6-7)

            -- if you would, look back with me again at Isaiah 9, beginning in verse 6a

 

For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.

 

            -- Isaiah opens this verse with the word, “for” -- this is a remarkable word -- all too often, we pass right over words such as these in our scriptures, but we need to see them -- we need to spend time with them -- we need to dwell on them -- because they explain the will and the purpose of our God

            -- in this case, Isaiah has been announcing a coming transition on earth -- a time of hope and life and peace -- a time when a light will shine in the darkness that will dispel it from the earth and from the souls of men -- a time when war is ended and is known no more -- a time when peace shall reign

            -- it will be a time like that of Eden -- when Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony in their relationship with the Father and there was no darkness, no war, no violence, no sin

            -- Isaiah cries out in these verses of the glorious hope of this time -- and the unwritten question from the Israelites is “How?  How will this come to pass?”

            -- and Isaiah responds, “it will come to pass…for…”

            -- it will come to pass for -- because -- a child is born to us -- a Son is given -- and that will make all the difference -- because of the coming Messiah, all will be made right again -- and we will no longer see darkness or war or crime or violence or sin in our lives

            -- with this little preposition, Isaiah announces the culmination of the Promise and all the prophecies of the Messiah throughout scripture

 

            -- the Messiah will be a child born into the lineage of the Jews -- born to “us” -- and being born makes it clear that this is referring to the incarnation of God Himself -- God with Us -- Emmanuel

            -- this child is not a created angel, as some religions like to claim -- nor is He simply the naturally born son of humans, filled with the divine Spirit -- no, this is the Son of God -- born of a virgin -- born to become one of us while still never ceasing to be God -- fully God and fully man

            -- the Son was given to us -- as it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son…” -- Jesus was a gift -- an act of grace from the Father to a people living in darkness and sin with no way out

 

            -- “the government will be on His shoulders” -- the government will rest on His shoulders -- this is a reference to the coming reign of Christ in the millennium -- the time when He will be with us as King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- when He shall physically reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years prior to the coming of the new earth and the new heaven

 

            -- look back at the second part of verse 6

 

And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

            -- as you know, when a baby is born to us, we give them a name of our choosing -- sometimes the name of our children comes from our ancestors -- we’ll name sons after their fathers or grandfathers or we’ll name daughters after their mothers or we’ll use surnames in our family tree

            -- sometimes we name our children based on the sound -- on what names just naturally come together and just sound good with our surname -- you don’t want a first name and a last name that is going to cause the child difficulty or confusion later on in life -- for instance, there is a football player at the University of Arkansas called Bumper Pool -- that’s his real name

            -- and sometimes we name our children based on what is currently popular in today’s culture -- find a culture-defining movie or tv show and you’re going to have a plethora of children named after the characters or the actors or popular singers -- right now, there’s a bunch of kids named Adele and Jamie and Claire and Elsa starting school

            -- but the thing about naming our children as we do, the names rarely reflect who that child will become -- that’s why its so common in the Bible to see people’s names change as God works in their life to change who they are and what they are to do

            -- so, Abram becomes Abraham -- the father of many nations -- Jacob becomes Israel -- he who had struggled with God -- and Simon becomes Peter -- the rock upon which the church will be built

            -- in this case, though, the incarnate child will be called by names that describe the character and nature and purpose of the Messiah -- wonderful counselor -- mighty God -- Everlasting Father -- Prince of Peace

            -- I want us to look at these separately

 

            -- first, “wonderful counselor” -- some translations divide this into two terms, changing the meaning to “He will be called wonderful and He will be called counselor” rather than one title alone, “Wonderful Counselor” -- you hear that interpretation in Handel’s Messiah in the song, “For unto Us a Child is Born”

            -- regardless, the meaning remains the same, whether it is one title or two

            -- wonderful means extraordinarily good or great -- excellent -- admirable -- impressive -- it reminds us of how we are to see the name of Jesus -- of how we are to react when we hear His name

            -- when is the last time you heard the name of Jesus and trembled in its presence? -- when is the last time you stopped and reflected on just how wonderful Jesus is?

 

            -- I like what Adrian Rogers wrote about this -- he said, "Jesus is wonderful. Everything about Him is wonderful: His birth is wonderful -- His life is wonderful -- His works are wonderful; His words are wonderful -- His death is wonderful -- His resurrection is wonderful -- His ascension is wonderful -- His intercession for us is wonderful -- His coming again is wonderful.

            “I heard of a preacher who was on a train, and he noticed a man looking out the window. And, as they went past the landscape—and it was beautiful landscape— [the] man kept saying, “Wonderful—wonderful.”

            “He’d pause and look for a while, wipe the tears from his eyes, and would say, “Wonderful.” -- The preacher’s curiosity was aroused, and he went over and sat by this man. -- And, he said, “I’ve never seen someone enjoy a train ride quite so much. Can you tell me why it is so wonderful?”

            “He said, “Sir, you don’t understand. -- I’ve just had surgery -- I have been without sight for years and years and years and years; and now, I am seeing things that I’d long since forgotten -- I’d forgotten how blue the sky was -- how green the grass was -- how beautiful the trees -- how bright the flowers.” He said, “It’s wonderful—it’s wonderful.”

            -- I pray that this is the way we react whenever we hear the name of Jesus -- whenever we realize His presence in our lives -- whenever we see His hand on us -- wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

 

            -- “wonderful counselor” -- in English, a counselor is someone who gives advice to us from their great wisdom -- who stands with us in court -- and who looks over those in their care, like a summer camp counselor with their kids

            -- as our wonderful counselor, the Messiah is our source of wisdom -- He speaks the words of God into our hearts and our souls -- He enlightens our understanding -- He gives meaning in a meaningless world

            -- He stands with us as our defender and champion -- He carried our sins to the cross to declare us free and innocent before the Father -- and He intercedes for us at the right hand of God Himself

            -- He is our Great Shepherd -- the One who watches over us -- the One who keeps us in His hand and guards our life and keeps us from all harm -- not necessarily physical harm, but eternal harm -- harm to our spirits

            -- Jesus is the wisdom and the Word of God made flesh -- and He continues to dwell in us through His Holy Spirit -- guiding and guarding and protecting us throughout our days

 

            -- next we see the Son who will be given described as Mighty God and Everlasting Father -- a reminder again that the Messiah is not just a man -- not just an earthly king -- but fully man and fully God -- part of the blessed trinity

            -- when Isaiah is describing the Messiah as the Everlasting Father, we need to understand that Isaiah does not mean that Jesus is the Father -- rather, this is a reference to the role of the Messiah as the author of our salvation and the protector of the faith -- Isaiah described Him as our everlasting father because he won for us eternity on the cross by paying the penalty for our sins and defeating sin and death forever -- in this sense, He is our father because He is the author and perfecter of our faith and cares for us as a father cares for his children and provides for our needs

           

            -- Mighty means having or showing great strength, force, or intensity -- it means being powerful or strong -- possessing impressive power

            -- this is no ordinary child who will be born on Christmas morning -- this is the mighty God who will bring light and life to this world and conquer sin and death once and for all

            -- it’s obvious here that Isaiah is proclaiming to the Jews that the long-awaited Messiah will be God Himself wrapped in human flesh -- God incarnate -- God with us

            -- Jesus is our Mighty God -- He is our Everlasting Father -- as Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one” and in John 8:58, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”-- Jesus is the Great I Am -- He is God incarnate -- He is God with us -- and He will return to be our King and our Savior and our Lord for all eternity

 

            -- I think my favorite Christmas song of all time, “Mary, Did You Know?” captures this proclamation of Isaiah so wonderfully in its last verse:

 

“Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're holding is the great I am”

 

 

            -- finally, we see the Messiah prophesied as the Prince of Peace -- the One who will finally bring lasting and eternal peace to this world

            -- peace is something that all of us long for -- it is what we have been looking for since the fall in the garden of Eden -- but true peace cannot be found in this world -- it cannot be found in any of the places the people are looking for -- true peace is found only in the person of Jesus

            -- that’s because peace is not a precept but a Person -- the Messiah is our peace because He is the Prince of Peace

 

            -- when the Bible speaks of peace, it doesn’t speak of it the way we normally do -- when we speak of peace, we recognize it as the absence of conflict -- the absence of war -- in other words, peace is what we experience when war and conflict and hostilities cease

            -- but, the Bible realizes peace as not the absence of something, but the presence of God permeating all -- the Hebrew word for peace is Shalom -- it is defined in the positive, because it not only erases war and hostility, but it brings with it serenity and harmony and restoration -- it makes all things right -- it restores what once was back to God’s original plan

 

            -- Shalom results in several different expressions of peace in our lives and in this world

            -- the first is peace among men -- the traditional definition of peace as we understand it -- the absence of war and hostility

            -- the second type of peace is peace from God -- that internal feeling of comfort and support that lets you survive daily in the chaos and the struggles of life

            -- the third type of peace is peace with God   -- this is the peace of Christmas -- this is the peace of the cross -- this is the peace that only Jesus can bring -- this is the peace that Isaiah is talking about in this passage

 

            -- J.I. Packer wrote, “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon -- hope of peace with God -- hope of glory" -- all because of Jesus -- all because God didn't give up on us, but sent His only Son in exchange for peace with us

            -- In Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, we read that after Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds who were there in the fields outside of Jerusalem and proclaimed to them the birth of a Savior -- the birth of the Messiah -- and promised peace and good will to them from the Father above -- they promised peace would come through Jesus

            -- it is this promise of peace through Jesus that leads Isaiah to proclaim Him as Prince of Peace

 

            -- verse 7

 

Of the greatness 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.

 

            -- in verse 6, Isaiah’s prophecy began with a child -- here in verse 7 it concludes with a King -- the baby who was born in the manger -- the Christmas Child who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day and ascended to the Father in Heaven will return again -- this time as King of King and Lord of Lords

            -- His kingdom will be greater than any kingdom ever before known -- its greatness will continue to increase as God’s grace and mercy continue to be poured out on us for eternity -- and it will be an eternal and everlasting kingdom -- a kingdom with no end

            -- when Isaiah says that the Messiah will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, it is a prophecy that the Messiah will come from the house and line of David -- if you remember a couple of weeks ago, we looked at the covenant that God made with David that said a descendant of David would sit upon the throne of Israel and reign in righteousness forever -- that is the same thing that Isaiah is prophesying here

            -- it also means that the kingdom of the Messiah will be based in Jerusalem and will be established with justice and righteousness -- we’ve all seen how power corrupts people and how governments tend to favor their supporters over others -- that will not be true in the kingdom of the Messiah -- here true justice will be known by all and righteousness and holiness will reign from the throne

           

            -- Isaiah says that the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this -- zeal means intense fervor, passion, and emotion -- to have zeal means that you have an interest or devotion in pursuing something

            -- in this case, Isaiah is saying that the Lord desires to establish His throne on earth -- that He desires to be with us as our God and our King -- that He desires that His will would be done and that peace and righteousness and holiness would be known among all those in His kingdom

            -- the time is coming, the Bible says, when Jesus will return and we will know Jesus as the King on His throne and we will finally experience true and lasting peace in our lives forever

 

III.  Closing

            -- Years ago, there was an ad in the New York Times that said, "The meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace." -- In other words, the ad proclaimed that since we have the light within us, we are the ones who can dispel the darkness of the world -- and if we work together, we can create a world of unity and peace and overcome poverty, injustice, violence, and evil

            -- we live in a time when the term, “Fake News,” is commonplace -- know this:  that ad was fake news -- it wasn’t true, because we cannot do what the ad proclaims -- it is impossible for us as humans to come together to create a world of unity and peace -- that is not what Christmas is about -- that is not what Advent teaches

            -- no, the only One who can create a world of unity and peace is the One who was born in the manger on Christmas morning -- the One who went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and who rose from the dead on the third day -- the One who will return again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords

            -- it is then that we will realize a world of unity and peace -- it is then that we will know what it means to live in righteousness and holiness and justice for all eternity

            -- this is the hope of Advent -- this is the Light of Christmas that is promised to us -- this is what we are waiting for

            -- so, as we close in prayer, let us remember to prepare our hearts for His coming and to proclaim the good news of Christ and of Christmas to all we see

            -- let us pray