Hope in His Advent

Today's the theme is Hope and this is Advent season in. And what we do every year here at Trinity is we take the four weeks leading up to Christmas and we we take a break from our normal sermons and we focus on the coming of Jesus. Advent is a beautiful season in the Christian calendar that leads us right up to Christmas, and it's a special time for Preparation reflection. As we anticipate not only Christ coming in the Nativity. The first Advent, the first coming of Jesus, but is joyful return in the second coming. You see the church has historically, reflected on themes of Hope, and peace, and joy and love. So these weeks this is what we try to do every year in this first week, is Hope. And next week will be peace and then joy and then love. And you can imagine that you know my desire this month is that you would you would find all of the hope and peace and joy and love that you need in Jesus. That's my desire. I pray that he's the air. You breathe this month. As you gather with your family's Jason prayed about it. Earlier that sometimes this season is the hardest because we've lost loved ones because of sin and Brokenness and families are not impact in all of these things. And so we need to hear this truth, in the gospel that we have hope that will never put us to shame. We have the peace that passes all understanding, we have a joy that indestructible even though we're grieving, we can still have joy and we have experienced the love of God. The Father who has shed his love abroad in our hearts, by the spirit, and proven it by giving us his son and he didn't spare Jesus. How is he not going to give us everything else with him. Isn't that good news? So this morning I just want to reflect on Hope and as I said, hope can be elusive. Have you lived with a chronic illness? Hope can be elusive. You have it. One day, it's gone. The next Are you in a dead-end job or have you experienced long-term unemployment? You can grow weary. Not thinking that there's any way. Any hope for the future. Have you experienced the loss of a loved one? Have you experienced a diction? Hope can be so elusive in the midst of addiction. In fact, Proverbs 13:12 says, hope deferred makes the heart sick. Have you experienced that I have? But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life, the loss of Hope can lead to a lack of trust at best or cynicism. It worst when I was dating. Jennifer is a teenager. I once told her I don't ever get my hopes up that way I won't ever be disappointed. And she married me anyway. I don't know what you was thinking, like, how can you be so cynical at Seventeen? I was Gen X. We just are born cynical. I don't know. Hope is trusting in something or someone stronger and greater who will come to the rescue. Hollywood's good at telling the story, aren't, they mean dmcu is One hope field experience. After another, you're just waiting for the superhero to come and save the day. Well for us as Christians, hope is a confidence that we will experience the fullness of God's goodness in our lives today and in the future, that's hope we're going to experience the goodness of God. It's not merely wishful thinking. Like my hope that a sports team would actually stay in Oakland. See, that's a pipe dream. That's elusive, hope isn't it? 1 Tier 1 moments. No, we have a hope that is never going to put us to shame. In the context of Isaiah 9 you can turn back over there. Marcos read it for us. I do want to start with Isaiah 7:14 because in the passage This is where the Hope begins Isaiah 7:14, therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name. Immanuel know, the context of this kind of fascinating because there's two kings that are living north of Judah. One king and Israel. In one king in Persia modern-day Iran and they were Allied against King ahaz who was the king of Judah. Now, he has is a descendant of David, but he has is a wicked King. He's not a good man. And David had received a promise from God way back in 2nd Samuel 7. And it said, when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your father's, I will raise up for you your Offspring after you who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom and he shall build a house for my name and I will establish the Throne of his kingdom forever. You know if you were to put milestones in the Old Testament, there's some important places to sort of think through God's promises you might turn to Genesis 12 where God promised Abraham, I'm going to give you a child and in that child all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And here in 2nd Samuel 7 is another one David. I'm going to make one of your descendants to Don the throne forever and of his kingdom. It's going to be righteous, it's going to last forever, it's going to bring in peace. Now, he has scuse me. He was a descendant of David but he was wicked. So he's not the Messiah and what he's going to do is form an alliance with Assyria, the most powerful Kingdom in the region at the time, so that he could fight against Israel in Persia and got it taught his Kings, not to form alliances with Pagan Nations, but God sends Isaiah. The prophet they has in and basically says they has hate has let me show you that. I will deliver you. You don't have to go over to Assyria to get help, pick a sign any sign, and I'll give you the sign. What state has didn't want to sign. He doesn't want to have God be in the picture at all. He's going to form an alliance with Assyria. He's already decided what he wants to do, and he doesn't want anything to do with God. One of the commentator said, this whole episode is like a mouse attacked by two rats squeaking for the cat. To come save him. The cat does, but the mouse ends up as deserts, this is what happens to making a house. Will God says, I will give you a sign. Is really even though your king didn't want to sign, I'm going to give you a sign. The Lord himself will give you a sign, Isaiah 7:14, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name. Immanuel. What a sign? A virgin. Is going to conceive and bear a son. That's a sign that could only come from God. That is a physical impossibility. And furthermore the name of this child is going to be Emmanuel and what does that mean? God with us. So this child is going to be God. God With Us. So, this is the sign. This is what's spoken in chapter 7 that gets us to the context of chapter 9 Isaiah's. Reminding a has that there's something far bigger going on here than battle between kingdoms Persia and Assyria. What is an issue of this, trust and Hope? What are you hoping in? You hoping in power chariots, military might of Assyria. Are you trusting in God now over in chapter 9, Marcos read it, I won't reread it for the sake of time, but another promise of this son is given a child, will be born. A son will be given and he's given four names and this is what I want to focus on for the rest of our time. This afternoon, his name will be called, wonderful counselor, Mighty God ever Eternal Father Everlasting. Father, Prince of Peace. What God is doing? Isaiah, the prophet is drawing attention to the name of this child. Now, names, we, we take a lot of effort in names, very often. We, we think through, we we maybe look at baby name books and and see what the meanings are of these names. You know, I chose names for my children that all meant, they were going to be, you know, Fighters and Challengers of their dad. And all of that type of thing, I don't know what I was thinking. They all have strong personalities, maybe it's because of how I named them. Well here in Isaiah. God says this is the name of the child. This one who is Emmanuel. His name is wonderful counselor. His name is mighty. God, his name is Eternal Father, his name is Prince of Peace.

Well, I feel like I have to there an inverse 6 before we start into the names themselves, make two preliminary statements, look at verse 6 of Isaiah 9 for to us. A child, is born to us. A son is given. I love Ike was a part of choir at UC Davis in my bachelor's degree and we sang Handel's Messiah as the choir. There was 100 people in the choir and there was at least a hundred people in the orchestra. I've never been a part of something that large. And we, we sang this, and we did our parts, and it was, what was this Downing to me? As we were singing Isaiah 9? And most of the people in that choir, didn't know Jesus. For me, it was an act of worship though. The twenty-year-old, Young Band singing Handel's Messiah. But here the child, that's to be born to us. A son will be given to us on our behalf for us, think about what's being said, this one, who's the sign Emmanuel who's given as a sign, who has these names? He's given for us to us on our behalf. That's incredible. This demonstrates the grace of God, doesn't it? Because you look at Israel and they didn't deserve it. Their King was wicked. In was trying to get help from Assyria. But God's going to say throughout the Book of Isaiah that I'm going to give you Grace and I'm going to give you what you need even though you're not asking for it. Even though you don't want it, I'm going to give it to you.

And at what he's giving we're going to see, is he's giving himself. He's giving his son for us seconds, we see just preliminary early that this work is a kingly work. A son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called. So, the government, the rule the rain will be upon his shoulders. He will bear the world's wait for his people. So many of the early church fathers interpreted this to mean the cross. I need they said something like this. When you think of the government in the sign of a king that sign is not on their shoulders, it's on their head to Crown. It's it's the mark of their rain is that they wear a crown and it may be heavy but they wear it on their head and yet this king is going to Bear the weight of the government upon his shoulder. He's going to Bear the world's wait for his people. The government of God's kingdom is going to rest on him. And so his work is on our behalf. It's vicarious and it's kingly. And we've been seeing this in the book of Hebrews, haven't we? That he's ruling and reigning with the greatest Authority. At the right hand of the father. He is king of kings and Lord of lords, and we're a part of his kingdom. This is glorious. Good news.

Let's dig into these names. What I want you to see is four characteristics of Hope here in these four names their reflected in this king's name. And the first one is wonderful counselor. He's a wonderful counselor. He's a Wonder of a counselor in the Hebrew word here, translated in our Bibles as wonderful as is as close as you can. Get to the Hebrew vocabulary, definition of a miracle, something Supernatural. He's seen as Divine as miraculous. He's the wise ruler of God's people. Do you need wisdom? Do you need advice? Are you without hope? Because you've gone to so many other sources for wisdom and advice and counsel and it's fallen short. Maybe you've got all your investments in. I was going to say crypto, but it's been up lately, so maybe that's why. I don't know. You've decided that the Earth counselors. You've you've lost the wisdom because they've LED you astray? Your retirement portfolio is declining. Jesus is a wonder of the counselor. He's the wonderful counselor 1st. Corinthians says he's called the wisdom from God. Colossians says, and him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, you know, Isaiah 53 later in the suffering. Servant Song, it says that he by his knowledge, he will justify many by his wisdom and knowledge. He's going to make men need to be declared righteous and what wisdom it is. He went to the cross and died on our behalf so that we could be righteous in him. So I Jeremiah says, I'll raise up for David A righteous Branch. He will reign as king and act wisely, and do justice. And righteousness, in the land, he will lead his kingdom in his people, in wisdom, and his wisdom is wonderful. It's miraculous Is that one of the most encouraging things about being a Christian? If you been a Christian for a while and you've trusted the wisdom of Jesus, the wisdom of God, Scripture, and it's proven good advice in your life, doesn't that bring you great joy? It does to me. Because so often, I'd look for advice elsewhere and it's left me wanting, there's no hope in it, but Jesus, he's a wonderful counselor. He gives the best advice. You want to know what to do with your life turned to Jesus and listen to him. You wanted you need Council for relationships for the future for your job. Turn to Jesus and listen to him.

Second name. He's a mighty. God. He's that Mighty God. He doesn't say he'll be like a mighty God. He doesn't say he'll be a god-like hero. He doesn't say it's almost as if God were in our midst. He says he is the Mighty God. This child is Emmanuel. Now that Mighty God. Reminds us that God is a warrior who fights for us. And this is good. Hope this gets to the the superhero Motif, doesn't it of hope we need someone stronger and greater to fight for us to intercede for us to come and save the day. Will Jesus is the Mighty God, this sun, this child in fact when you read the Psalms so often the Psalms picture God, as a young mighty warrior who fights, we heard it when we were in the Minor Prophets last year in Nae whom the God is a warrior who fights for his people. Jesus is the Mighty God. He is God, he's not just a man who lived a good life on this Earth is not just a good teacher. He is God. The second person of the godhead fully God and fully man, John 1:1. The word was with God and the Word was God who became flesh and dwelt Among Us in verse 14. Romans 9. He is, God over all blessed forever, Hebrews. 18 of the Sonny says your throne, o. God is forever and ever in a righteous after is the scepter of your king Kingdom. Do you need someone greater and stronger to fight for you? Do you feel like you're on the verge of losing hope because you don't have an advocate, you don't have a hero. Jesus is the Mighty God. One of his name is mighty God, he fights for you, remember that? And let it stir up, your hope in him. For tomorrow when you wake up and you face the reality and the holidays are over, Jesus is the Mighty God will Isaiah, doesn't stop there. The third name, he mentions is Everlasting father. Father of the world to come, he will be the Eternal Father and ruler of his people. The Everlasting King the Perpetual Monarch. Now I have to say this passage doesn't confuse the Messiah. The second person of the Trinity with God the Father, the first person I didn't eat you on raising problems. You may not even have thought you knew, but here Jesus, his name is Eternal Father. Now, I thought the first person of the Trinity was the father, but here's a second person is being called The Eternal Father. On the context, it's referring to his reign as the davidic are as the Messiah and all of the Kings reigned as fathers in rulers in scripture over there. People somewhere good somewhere bad but the emphasis that he won't just be a father. He will be an eternal father. We see it in 47 of the increase of his government and 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. In other words, he's going to rule and Reign forever. Now at this point is real had been waiting for the davidic promise. They are so 2nd Samuel 7. David had been given that promise and by the time of Isaiah, it, it been about 500 years. That this descendant of David hadn't come. It felt like God was hiding his face from them. In fact, turn back to 8:17. Look at what Isaiah says. I will wait for the Lord who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob and I will hope in him. It's not interesting. So this promise to give a sign of a son who is Emmanuel in this promised to send the son of David, who's this wonderful counselor Mighty God. Eternal Father, Prince Prince of Peace. This one. They've been waiting for 500 years and even Isaiah says, it's as if God has been hiding his face from me from the house of Jacob. It's as if we can't see what God's doing. It's been so long. We don't know what he's about and yet what is Isaiah say yet? I will hope in him. I will trust in him.

Jonathan Edwards. In this passage, he was a famous Pastor in the colonies in America in the 1700's. Here's what he preached out of this passage. He Jesus is the king of the most unparalleled. Clemency in Grace, never was any Kingdom ruled by a government. So mild and gentle and gracious. He is exceedingly gracious in the manner of his ruling, his people by sweetly and powerfully influencing their hearts by his grace, not governing them against their Wills. But instead powerfully inclining their Wills, what's he getting at here? This one, who's coming isn't Eternal Father, he's going to rule like a benevolent. Father, would rule inclining your hearts by sweetly and powerfully influencing through Grace. Through Grace. Remember my dad teaching me, when will my kids started to get older and were teenagers? And I was really at a loss for how to discipline them in a given rebellious moment. I won't make any I contact with my children. I'll just I won't even David non-gender-specific so that we won't even know which child I'm talking about. We'll just presume. It's one of them if not, all of them. But I would be at a loss as to what do I do in this situation? Something's come up in my parenting that I don't know what to do. And so, what do I do? I call my dad. And that what we do we call our dads. When we don't know what to do.

And my dad said to me, while Ryan you have two options, you can either teach them in that moment. You reap what you sow or you can teach them Grace? And they're both mutually exclusive. You can't teach you reap. What you sow if you're teaching Grace. I thought wow, that's really good. Now he didn't help me in the moment because he didn't offer to tell me which one I should do in that moment. He said that's up to you. You're the dad.

And forgive me children. If I chose poorly. and that moments,

but what a thought that Jesus, as a king, who is an eternal father rules and Reigns not by violent Force but by grace Remember what he said when he came to Earth. You said, are you weary and heavy-laden take my yoke upon me and learn from me. My burden is easy, and my yoke is light. Jesus said in me, you'll find rest for your souls. This is the kind of savior. He is this, the kind of shepherd He is, He's gentle and lowly.

He's a good shepherd. He's the Eternal Father. Isn't this? Why we trust him? His yoke is easy. And his burden is light, and he influences Us by his grace. And that's the kind of hope we need, isn't it? Because we look at ourselves and we say why send this week, I deserve his judgment But what is he say? Cuz I'm going to give you Grace, I'm going to give you what you don't deserve. Because the father's judgment was poured out on the cross fully and completely. And now we have access to the presence of Jesus, by Grace, the grace, in which we stand, this is a good news of the Gospel. This is the hope that Jesus brought and that he offers and it's a hope not just for his first coming but his second coming.

We will be found faultless standing Before the Throne at the End of the Age. Why not? Because of our good works not because we were so great. But because Jesus is so great because his grace is the grace in which we stand because he's that kind of Savior who was able to save and Deliver us even from ourselves.

With the last name, which leads us into next week, doesn't it? He's the Prince of Peace, the one who brings peace, this one who gives peace and who Reigns in peace. This is what the Angels sang and Luke 2 glory to God in the highest and on Earth. Peace. Peace. What a glorious thought. The king of peace is coming into the world. The Prince of Peace is coming to bring peace and to make peace not only between us with one another but between us and God.

You see the truth of the Gospel? Is that if we haven't believed in Jesus, we are not at peace with God. God is our enemy. Why? Because of our sin and he's holy and he can't abide it. But yet, Jesus is God's Peacemaker. He's the one who gave his life bearing our sins so that we might be able to have his peace and to be brought into the presence of God, the Father, Colossians 1 says, he's come to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross through him. I say whether things on earth or things in heaven, This is who this Messiah is in, what hope. Do you know this piece? Do you have this piece? Do you want this piece? Peace with God in peace with men, come to Jesus. If you don't know him, put your faith in him. Believe that he died for you and was buried and rose again, and you will have this peace. This is the blessing in the sign in the promised, the hope. That Isaiah was talking about inside the beginning of Matthew's gospel. Matthew says 1:22, all of these things took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord, through his Prophet. Behold, the Virgin will be with child and beerus son. And they shall call his name. Immanuel god with us. This is what we remember as we head into Christmas. Ray ortlund Junior in his commentary on Isaiah Wright's. Look at Jesus as the wonderful counselor. He has the best ideas and strategies, let's follow him as the Mighty God. He defeats his enemies easily. Let's hide behind him as the Everlasting. Father, he loves us endlessly. Let's enjoy him. And as the Prince of Peace, he reconciles us while we are still as enemies. Let's welcome his Dominion. His Reign his kingdom. Now, the very last sentence of Isaiah, 97 says, the Zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. This deal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. This is the Old Testament way of saying that God is saying the Deliverance. I'm going to bring I'm going to do it and it's going to be by my grace. So he gave a sign that a has didn't want that the Virgin will conceive and bear a child and call his name Immanuel. He gave a promise that the people didn't want to hear that a son will be born and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor.

Mighty God. Everlasting father, Prince of Peace. And he's going to continue making promises. Let's turn over and clothes and Isaiah 40. The book of Isaiah, we were to outline the whole book. The first 36 chapters are God, in dieting is real, for their disobedience, in refusing to be the servant. They've God wanted them to be, and then there's a historical interlude from chapter 36 2:39, and then chapter 40 makes it turn in from chapter 4266. It's all about hope. The whole book of Isaiah is about Hope and God keeping his promises and Isaiah 40, may be very familiar to you, but I just wanted to make a couple Reflections here by with closing. Beginning in verse 1, Comfort, Comfort. My people says your God speak. Tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her. That her Warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned. Did she is received from the Lord's hand, double for all her sins, a voice cries in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight in the desert. A highway for our God, What is Isaiah getting at? Do we send? Yes, we see it here. Do we suffer for it? Yes. Does God leave us there? No. He makes straight A Highway into the desert where we are in our lostness and he brings us Jesus. And I glorious, that's hope.

Every Valley shall be lifted up verse for Every Mountain and Hill made low, the uneven ground shall become level. And the rough places are playing in the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and All Flesh. Shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. The king is coming to where we are. Verse 6, a voice says cry, and I said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass. All its beauty is like the flower of the field, the grass withers. The flower Fades, when the breath of the Lord blows on it. Surely the people are grass the grass withers, the flower Fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. God's promises. Are certain First 9 go on up to a high mountain o, Zion Herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength o, Jerusalem, Herald of good news. Lifted up, fear not say to the cities of Judah, behold your God behold, the Lord, God comes with might in his arm rules, for hand behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before him, he will tend his flock, Like a Shepherd, he will gather the Lambs in his arms, He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young. He's the Conquering King and he's The Tender Shepherd and I don't have time to read the rest of the chapter. But in versus 12226 you should read it when you get home. God is unlike any other and his uniqueness should give you a surance in your. Hope that there is no other God like him. Butternut verse 27. Why do you say? Oh, Jacob and Speak O Israel. My way is hidden from the Lord in my right is disregarded by my God, have you not known? Have you not heard the Lord is the Everlasting. God the creator of the ends of the Earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength even youths? Shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall Mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. I can go through and show you how each of those names of Messiah. Their wonderful counselor that he is understanding is unsearchable. He's a wonderful counselor who's able to search the unsearchable understanding of the father that he's the Prince of Peace. Who's bringing peace? That? He's the Eternal Father, Who's going to be like a Tender Shepherd. He is the one who is mighty God. The one who is giving power to the faint verse 29. This is who Jesus is. He's revealing the father to us in. What a hope, isn't it mean? This is the, the verse that's put in some of you don't remember. Christian book stores, but it was, it was, you know, it was printed on every picture. It was, you know, latch hooked into every pillow. It was they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They'll rise up on wings like eagles and my dear Greek. Hebrew Professor ruin that for me because Eagles didn't exist in the Middle East, they were turkey buzzards. Turkey, vultures, but we're Americans and we speak English. So Eagles is grates.

It's not quite so sorry. I didn't. I've ruined it for you now as well. I didn't mean to ruin the verse for you but the the turkey vulture was the largest biggest wingspan bird in the Middle East at that time. And the picture is not necessarily a beauty but of strength and power And to rise up on the wings of the leader, we would say, the Condor the eagle. I mean this is the idea that God is, he's going to restore us. He's going to energize Us. In fact, will run and not be weary will walk and not faint, that's hope. That's hope in. God this is what Isaiah is promising and and I don't want to steal the Thunder from the next three weeks because that's the whole point of Advent. We're walking through this Old Testament prophecy and promise of the hope, that's the come. Now we know the story. We read the last page, we know that this is true and it should encourage our hearts. Just sit in this for the month of December. Sit in this. Hope you have a God who keeps his promises. All of his promises are yes. And amen. In Jesus and he'll never abandon you and he'll never forsake. You he'll never leave you. He's giving you Jesus if he hasn't spared his own son, how will he not with him freely? Give you everything else and he's sending his son back again to make all things, right? So that you will be with him forever. Father, thank you for this time and your word, thank you for the hope we have in Christ. I do pray that those who don't know him that you by your spirit would open their eyes to see Jesus for who he really is that they would put their faith in Jesus. They would follow him all their their days that they would experience the peace and the joy. The Jesus brings. He is. A wonderful counselor, Mighty God and everlasting father, Prince of Peace. Thank you for your good gift. In Jesus name. Amen.