Sermon Tone Analysis

[Ill. a gift that is back-ordered or never received.]

We all know that Christmas is far more than giving and receiving.

It is hard not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas but we here today understand something of the true meaning of Christmas:

Jesus was God in human flesh.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God stepped out of eternity and entered time.

Jesus was a great teacher, healer, and miracle worker.

Jesus came to the earth to die for our sins on the cross.

Jesus rose again from the dead and ascended to heaven to make intercession for His own people and to prepare a place for us there.

All of this and more is the true meaning of Christmas, and that the real gift of Christmas in Jesus Christ Himself

But the prophet Isaiah points out that some of the great gifts of Christmas have not been delivered yet.

They will not come through the post office, ups, or Fed Ex but they will be delivered by the power and authority of our sovereign God.

They have been promised and they will come in His perfect time.

These gifts are worth waiting for.

1.

His Arrival is a Gift, v. 6a

Isaiah 9:6-7 make some great claims concerning the Lord jesus Christ and a few were fulfilled when Jesus came the first time.

“For a child will be born to us . .

.”

This phrase identifies Him as a man.

Mary precious baby born 2,000 years ago was fully human and experienced pain, sorrow, loss, grief, hunger, thirst, weariness, and suffering.

Remember, through the incarnation of the virgin birth, God Almighty became fully man.

“a son will be given us . . .

This phrase identifies Him as God.

God the Son came as a helpless infant, but that infant was God!

He was given so that we might be redeemed from our sins and born again into the family of God.

The Bibe is clear that God in human flesh is an absolutely indispensible foundational truth of our faith.

Without God being a man, the death and resurrection of the Christ means nothing.

With it, His sacrifice means everything.

It means the sinless innocent died for the guilty, and that sinners can be saved, if they will come to Jesus Christ by faith.

Yet, the truths that the prophet Isaiah mentions after these first two phrases are gifts from God that have not been delivered yet.

They will be though, because Jesus is coming again!

That is His promise!

These and other verses make it clear that Jesus is coming.

and when He does, all the remaining gifts will be brought forth.

2. His Acknowledged Titles are a Gift, verse 6b.

HisC

When Christ comes, Isaiah tells us He will be given many titles.

A. He is “Wonderful Counselor.”

The term “wonderful” points out the truth that there is nothing common about Jesus.

He is so far beyond our level of comprehension that we can never figure Him out, yet He can be known by a little child!

He is wonderful in all His words, His works, and His ways.

and as Counselor, he is the leader and guiding force in our lives.

B. He is “Mighty God.”

He is our ‘Hero,’ the One who is “strong, mighty, and invincible.”

Why is He our hero?

He has defeated all our enemies:

Death — 1 Cor.

15:55

Sin — Rom.

6:14

Satan — Gen. 3:15

The Grave — Matt.

28:1-6; 1 Cor.

15:20

Hell — John 10:28

C.

He is “Everlasting Father.”

He is everlasting; i.e.

He is the great “I AM!”

He is also our father—the word meaning producer, generator — he is our source, bringing us into being and sustaining our lives by His power, As our Father:

He loves us — Rom.8:38-39

He supports us — Ps. 18:35

He sustains us — 2 Tim.

1:12

He comforts us — John 14:16-18

He provides for us — Phil.

4:19

D. He is “Prince of Peace.”

He will rule His kingdom in peace because He is the creator and provider of peace.

And those those who know Him know all about peace

Today the world pays Him mere lip service, or worse.

But when He comes, He will give the world the gift of His sovereign rule.

The world will acknowledge Him to be all that He is, and will bow at His feet and acknowledge Him to be the Lord of all.

That is a gift the world needs today and it is one the world will enjoy when He comes.

3. His kingly reign is a gift, vs. 6-7.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that “the government will rest on His shoulders” and that “there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and uphold it . .

.”

When Jesus comes back, He will come as a King to rule.

This is the clear teaching of the Scriptures;

The disciples were taught to pray for His kingdom.

When He comes, He will establish an eternal kingdom.

When the Lord Jesus rules in righteousness, power and glory, the whole world will be transformed by His power.

What a world that will be !

Yet even though we all know that He is King today, the world does not acknowledge Him as King.

His rule in the world today is in the arena of redeemed hearts.

We who know Him must yield the throne of our heart to Him and His sovereign rule.

Is Jesus Christ the absolute, sovereign ruler of your heart and life?

He should be — if He isn’t, you need to enthrone Him there today.

The Lord Jesus’ reign as King will be a great gift to this world because of the truth found in verse 7:

4. His perfect justice and judgment are a gift, v. 7.

Isaiah also tell us that the coming King will rule with “justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.”

It is obvious to us that this gift has yet to be delivered.

In Washington there is no peace.

Our leaders cannot even get along long enough to transact the business that is in the best interests of the people of this nation whom they are supposed to serve.

There is no peace in this world.

We have an abundance of war, racial tension,crime and turmoil everywhere we turn.

But when the angels announced the birth of Jesus, they rejoiced that this child would bring peace to the world (Luke 2:14) .

We have yet to see perfect justice, peace, and judgment delivered here on the earth but these things — and more — are coming!

They will arrive when Jesus comes to rule on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.

It will be a world . . .

where there is no war, no poverty, no inequity, no injustice, no religious or racial differences.

in which every citizen worships God Almighty and bows to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

in which every ruling handed down from the throne is perfect and in the best interests of both God and men.

that is marked by perfection, peace, and the very presence of God.

in which there is no sickness, no dwarfed bodies or minds, and where death is rare.

where righteousness, holiness, and peace are part of ordinary life for all.

That is the world Christ will create when He returns.

When Jesus comes, He will give the world everything it would have had if sin had not entered in and destroyed everything!