The Word Became Flesh: Christ, Our Life and Light
Notes
Transcript
The holiday season is upon us.
We have celebrated thanksgiving and now we turn towards Christmas.
This year I want us to approach Christmas with a theme.
That theme is light.
The light of Christmas.
In much of scripture, as we read, we see the theme of darkness and light.
In large part this is because it is something that is easy for us to see and understand.
Darkness brings obscurity,
Darkness is ignorance and lack of understanding.
Darkness is a picture of chaos and disorder.
Looking back to creation
Genesis 1:2 (ESV)
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
Darkness is a picture of, and brings feeling of emptiness.
Have you ever sat in the pitch dark out in the woods.
The blackness feels so vast, so overwhelming, so empty.
And yet it also brings fear.
Fear of what you cannot see.
But light brings hope.
That first hint of sunshine on the horizon.
In scripture, light gives us a picture of order and God’s control.
Looking at Genesis 1 again, if we finish out verse 2 and go into verse 3.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
God acted.
God brought light into the darkness.
Ever since that moment of creation, it appears there is a battle going on between light and dark.
A battle that continues today.
We look around us today and wonder, what is happening in the world.
At times we may think, where is God?
The darkness can feel overwhelming.
We here of senseless violence.
Acts of evil being carried out against other people.
Natural disasters.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I am saddened over these situations as much as I hope you are.
I often wonder what God is doing.
Why must a young child deal with chemo?
Why do family members have to grieve the loss of loved ones in tragic circumstances?
Why does my family member, who believes in Jesus, suffer from ongoing illness?
I can’t answer those questions fully.
So what keeps me believing and trusting God when I am faced with tragedy, heartache and grief?
I can trust because I know the story in which I find myself.
I know the bigger picture.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
That is the story that I want for us to reconsider this Christmas season.
You and I may not understand the darkness around us or what purposes it serves, but we can know the one who does.
We all find ourselves in the midst of a much larger story.
It’s as if we have been plopped down in the middle of the story, not knowing what came before or after.
And if we don’t know the story, we will be totally lost when the darkness overwhelms us.
We must be able to see clearly where the plot is taking us so that we can trust the one who writing the story.
Where I want to begin this morning is with some verses that are familiar in relation to Christmas.
Perhaps you have received Christmas cards with Is 9:6-7 on them.
I want to go back to the beginning of the chapter though.
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. 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.
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.
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.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
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.
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.
To really understand this chapter we need some context.
In Isaiah 1-8, Isaiah brings the message of God’s rebuke to the people.
Listen and see if any of these sound familiar.
In chapter 1 God brings rebuke upon the nation as a whole because the people who know the word of God best are doing the worst.
The nation is full of hypocrisy.
He brings indictment for solemn assemblies.
The people know the right things to do,
They know what they are to gather for,
They are doing what they are supposed to do.
But there is no real passion for God, they are going out of obligation.
There was blatant misuse and abuse of power.
Neglecting the weak.
Politically in chapter two, there is idolatry across the nation.
Peoples focus and passions are misplaced.
Despite the greatness of God, people worshipped anything and everything else.
Chapter 3 there is an obsession with youth and youthfulness.
Complete disrespect of the elderly.
Continuing on through the chapters there is misuse and abuse of alcohol.
Zooming out, he gives a picture of the nation in complete chaos, crisis and fear.
Does any of that sound familiar?
Sin doesn’t change.
The brokenness.
The chaos.
The darkness.
It’s always the same.
Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6, Isaiah realizes that he, and they are ruined without God.
They are ruined before the Lord’s holiness unless the Lord does something.
A glimmer of hope comes in that chapter showing that God is willing to help.
The sign of Immanuel is given in chapter 7.
There is hope.
But there are also consequences for their sin and disobedience.
The gloom has overtaken.
Because of their sinfulness, the Assyrian invasion is imminent.
The Lord spoke to me again: “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”
Isaiah 8 pronounces judgement.
The end of chapter 8 is a transition into chapter 9—the gloom and despair of those walking in darkness in the north of Israel
The people of Israel had chosen their own way rather than God’s way.
They trusted in human glory rather than in God.
The nation plunged itself into darkness.
And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
Instead of being protected by God, the people were in confusion and darkness.
Because of their actions, because of their rebellion.
I don’t know about you, but I feel the gloom around us, I feel the darkness.
It is clearly evident.
There is much we can relate to.
How do we live ourselves in a nation of fear where personal corruption and national crisis is on display!
But we can also relate to this -
That is not where God intended to leave them.
Back to our primary text for today.
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. 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.
Hope!
There will be no gloom!
The light won’t go out for those who trust in Christ!
Within the historical context - when the Assyrians invaded the Northern Kingdom of Israel their conquests began in the tribal territory of “Zebulun” and “Naphtali,” (two of the tribes of Israel that were located on the northern most end.)
Geographically, when Israel was attacked, this was primarily where the attacks came from.
These areas were the first to feel the pressure, the first to feel the darkness of impending doom.
(Isaiah is peaking roughly 20 years before the fall of the northern kingdom)
But God is saying, I am going to redeem those areas.
In those places where there is contempt, the Lord will redeem.
God promises that in the very areas where the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom will begin, light would dawn.
The people of Israel did nothing to deserve this.
They were completely rebellious, living and rejecting God.
Every king of the northern kingdom was an evil king who rejected God.
This message is nothing but God’s grace!
The same is true today.
God promises to redeem the broken things of this world.
He promises to bring light into the darkness.
There will be no gloom.
How relevant is the Word of the Lord today!
Look at verse 2 with me.
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.
We ought to stop and think, now wait a minute Isaiah, how can you talk this way.
Didn’t you just say that judgment was coming?
Isaiah is speaking in the past tense, as if the current chaos is over.
But, it’s still going on!
Bible scholars call this way of speaking the prophetic perfect.
Isaiah is speaking past tense, even though it is not past, because this is how certain he is of the promises that God has made.
It’s going to happen.
Once God says it, it’s already in motion.
Isaiah can speak as if it’s already over and light is breaking in because God has spoken!
Where is the light coming from?
The land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
We know who comes form Galilee.
That text is pointing to Jesus!
The light that has shone on the people in darkness, is Jesus Christ.
He alone that can bring peace.
This is the message of Christmas for us as today as well.
God is speaking into the chaos of our lives, the chaos of our world.
And He is speaking in a manner of completion.
Because Jesus has conquered darkness.
Jesus has conquered death.
Look at the promises that follow.
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.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
These verses are spoken with the backdrop of darkness.
Impending doom.
Things yet unfulfilled.
Yet in the darkness, Isaiah speaks of Joy.
Joy that comes from God alone.
Verse 4 we see the mention of Midian.
This is a reference to Gideon and his victory there.
Do you know the story of Gideon, from the book of Judges?
Who won the battle?
God told Gideon to assemble an army.
When 30 some thousand men showed up to fight against over 100,000, God said it was too many.
So Gideon told any man that was afraid to go home leaving him with 10,000.
Again God said there was too many.
All the way down until Gideon was left with only 300 men.
300 vs 100,000.
There is no question who won that battle.
God won that battle.
Not only will God with the battle but as verse 5 says, the opposition is used ultimately for good.
Verse 5 is a picture of the earth shaking as warriors approach for battle.
Even these instruments of war will be turned for good.
Fuel for the fire.
Referring to Gideon’s victory, Isaiah is saying there will be no more oppression, there will be no more brokenness, there will be no more injustice.
And God will accomplish these things.
All of this begins with the birth of a child.
The verses we are so familiar with at Christmas time.
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.
Simply by this child’s birth, everything Isaiah has spoken is fulfilled.
That God would give us this child is unfathomable.
IF we truly understand the darkness of sin, not only on these people but on us and our own impure hearts.
Our own darkness and chaos that we have brought into the world.
Mankind brought sin into God’s perfect world.
You and I bring sin into the world each and every day.
That God would give us His Son!
Truly a miracle.
That is the heart of John 3:16.
God so loved the world that despite all of its darkness, He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life.
To us this child is born.
To us a son is given.
Through this child's birth.
God is going to bring peace.
Not through more war, not through more oppression, not through violence.
But he's going to bring peace in weakness and madness.
Jesus is bringing peace through humility.
And through holiness.
If we really think about the multitude of problems in our lives,
maybe you are grappling with so many things today,
it's even hard for you to focus.
Psychologically, relationally, maybe even among your family or at your workplace.
Then we zoom out to the national level, the global level,
God is telling us in the book of Isaiah that he's going to bring peace through a child!?
If we're being real.
Being vulnerable.
What a lot of times we feel,
we feel like this is too small of solution.
Of course we would all say at Christmas absolutely.
Many of us are good religious people after all.
We are celebrating this child coming to earth!
A child is born, Jesus is restoring all things.
But so were the Jews. They were good religious people.
It's difficult to believe that a child could help.
Would you agree? Or am I the only one?
That truth, that difficulty to believe, is often seen in the ways we often seek to solve our problems.
In the way we misplace our hopes.
Our misplaced passions.
The things that bring our own souls and emotions into bondage, darkness and frustration
is that we are not really focused on that child.
Of course he is no longer a child.
He is today the risen savior.
This message of a child appears weak and foolish.
The message of the gospel is weak and foolish.
Paul writes
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Sending a kid to do a man’s job isn’t how things get fixed in our world.
But that is exactly what God has done!
It is only when we believe in Jesus Christ alone that our lives will truly be transformed.
It is not until we believe and really hope completely in Jesus and his work on the cross.
In all the humility and weakness portrayed, that our lives will be transformed.
It is in this weakness that God has chosen to save.
And this child is a king.
A child is born to us.
A son is given.
The language changes here in verse 6
He begins saying it's a child, but now he switches and says there's a son,
which tells us he's talking about something very specific, because if you go on down to verse seven, it talks about this son sitting on the throne of David.
Isaiah is communicating that this son is part of God’s plan.
Going back to the promise made to King David in 2 Sam 7.
A promise that really goes back to Gen. 3.
The sign of the woman that will crush the serpents head.
He’s coming!
And the great news is as well is that the government is going to be on His shoulders.
He will take the weight of human leadership and authority.
Jesus rule as king is spiritual in effect, but more than that.
He comes to reign in power on earth.
His second coming will set up His earthly reign as king.
It is going to physical and tangible.
It will have social, political, and economic ramifications for all of society.
And He alone will be in authority.
Here in the USA, we have so many things to be thankful for.
So many freedoms, so many privileges.
Democracy is such a blessing.
But as a Christian, do you long for more?
Is your heart crying out for God to return and set up His kingdom?
God set up your government because what we have is woefully insufficient.
Set up your kingdom here because we need light in this dark world.
Give us this one who is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And give him to us forever!
There will be no end.
And God you are going to do it!
As the end of verse 7 says the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
I want to begin this Christmas season by pointing us to the light in the darkness.
Take hope!
There will be no gloom.
The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light!
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them a light has shone!
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given!
Take hope this Christmas season and as we use this time to remember Jesus first coming.
Let us also use it to make us long for His return!