Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction.
On Wednesday December 21st, we faced the shortest day of the year.
According to the weather channel, the sunrise took place at 8:01 am and the sunset took place at 4:42 pm.
If you think that’s bad… In Barrow, AK (320 miles north of the Arctic Circle), When the sun sets on Nov. 18 , the city will sit in complete darkness for the next 65 days.
As I deliver this message to you, the people in Barrow, Alaska are still sitting in darkness and won’t see the sun for another full month (Jan 22).
Scientists call it Polar Night.
The locals call it Endless Night.
Isaiah 9, describes what seems like an endless night:
Gloom
Anguish
Contempt
Darkness
Deep darkness
Nevertheless, there is hope.
Isaiah begins chapter 9:1 with, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish.”
You see God made a promise that he was going to bring transformation.
I have a simple message for you today:
God is in the business of transforming our gloom into glory
Let me show you how he does that.
Isaiah 8 ends with “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish.
And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”
(Is 8:22)
Isaiah 9 begins by offering a contrast, “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish.”
(Is 9:1)
That little word “But” describes divine intervention.
God breaks through the darkness.
Isaiah 9:2 “2 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.”
What we see in Isaiah 9 is good news for hopeless sinners sitting in hopeless darkness.
Tommy Clayton “Christmas is a powerful reminder that God is not afraid of entering our darkness.
That’s where he does his best work.”
Look what God does in Isaiah 9
God turns gloom (v.1) into increased joy (v.3)
God turns anguish (v.1) into rejoicing (v.3)
God turns oppression (v.4) into a broken yoke (v.4)
God turns darkness (v.2) into light (v.2)
God transforms the land of deep darkness (v.2) into a kingdom marked by endless peace, justice and righteousness (v.7).
These are God’s gifts to his people.
Merry Xmas everyone!
How is God going to accomplish all this?
How is God going to transform gloom into glory?
Isaiah answers with a threefold “for” in vv. 4, 5 & 6.
These three conjunctions could also be translated as “because”
Because the Lord delivers (v.4)
Because the Lord gives the victory (v.5)
Because a son is given to us (v.6)
Let me show you how these three conjunctions show us how God transforms our gloom into glory in three different ways.
1. God transforms our bondage into salvation
Isaiah 9:4 “4 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.”
The day of Midian is a reference to the story of Gideon in Judges 6-7.
At this point in history, Israel is being oppressed by the Midianites.
So God calls Gideon to be the one to deliver Israel from Midian.
Gideon acknowledges that he is a nobody.
“I got no resources or influence.”
God says, “No problem.
I’ll be with you.
I’ll do the deliverance.”
(Judges 6:15-16)
God instructs Gideon to cut back the number of soldiers from 32,000 to 300, each soldier is equipped with a clay jar, a torch and a ram’s horn (trumpet).
Judges 7:20 “[They] blew the trumpets and broke the jars.
They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow.
And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!””
This created terror and confusion for the enemy.
The Midianites turned on themselves, destroying one another.
The point of Gideon’s story is not that Gideon was strong and clever.
The story of Gideon is about God saving the day.
The day of Midian reflects the heart of the Xmas story.
That is, we cannot ourselves.
We are under the yoke of slavery to sin
We under the heavy burden of sin
We are under sin’s oppressing rod.
We desperately need a savior!
On Xmas we celebrate Jesus coming down in human form to do for us what we cannot do ourselves.
He breaks the yoke of slavery
He lifts the heavy burden from our shoulders
He breaks the oppressor’s rod.
This is the good news of the gospel: God delights to save those in bondage of sin.
Jesus declared in John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Jesus has the power to transform our bondage into salvation
God is in the business of transforming our gloom into glory by transforming our bondage into salvation.
A second way how God transforms our gloom into glory
2. God transforms our despair into restoration
In Isaiah 9:5 we find our second conjunction, “5 For [or because] every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.”
V.5 is connected with v.3
Isaiah 9:3 “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.”
What a wonderful picture: The people enjoy a victory they did not win but was given to them.
God multiplies the nation.
This is a great reversal of war & exile that the nation of Israel experienced (2 Kings 15:29)
Their joy increases because of the harvest and victory that God has given them.
More importantly, they rejoice because they stand before the presence of God.
This is a wonderful picture of restoration & fellowship.
God transforms their despair into restoration.
When is this restoration going to take place?
In Isaiah 9 we see two advent seasons.
That is, two comings of Jesus the Messiah.
The first coming took place at Xmas.
The second coming is yet to happen.
Jesus’ 1st coming: He came to deliver us from sin
Jesus 2nd coming: He will come to deliver us from death & suffering (1 Cor 15:24-26, Rev 21:4)
Bonhoeffer: “Our whole life is an Advent, a season of waiting for the last Advent, when there will be a new heaven and earth.”
Until then, we, like the people of Israel in Isaiah 9, are waiting.
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