The Difference-Making Child
Notes
Transcript
Christmas is right around the corner. Just a heads-up, there are only a few more shopping days left. For many, there’s a lot of waiting anxiously and impatiently for the last of the Amazon packages to arrive on our doorstep.
God bless all the delivery men and women working this time of year.
Christmas is right around the corner. We’ve been anticipating it, I assume. Decorations placed around the house and presents slowing making their way under the tree trigger the anticipation. Kids on their best behavior usually signals one last ditch effort to be placed on the “nice list” for the approaching gift-receiving holiday.
And then there’s the church gathering. This is the fourth week we’ve considered together, from the book of the OT prophet Isaiah, what Christmas means and what Christmas brings.
The promise of the Promised-One, the arrival/advent of the anointed Messiah, the birth of the child is evidence of God-with-us; this child is LIGHT and JOY, and so much more.
We’re going to read, one more time, Isaiah 9.
If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Isaiah 9 (page 1,073 in the red pew Bible). As you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 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.
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.
May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!
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Everything we’ve read in Isaiah during this “Christmas in Isaiah” series points us to Jesus. And that’s not because I made it about Jesus. It points to Jesus because it’s about Jesus. There’s no question.
Isaiah’s prophecy finally announces to us the child, the son, the Promised Messiah. He is the Child who makes a difference.
We’re going to keep returning to that phrase, that idea: the Child who makes a difference; the difference-making Child.
To begin with, we’re going to see how all of this in Isaiah leads up to this Child. Look at your copy of the Bible. If you follow the progression of thought here in Isaiah 9, Isaiah is saying that there’s something that’s going to happen—a light has dawned.
The tense is all confused. It’s in the future, but it’s stated in the past tense. That’s because it’s certain. Isaiah is living and prophesying hundreds and hundreds of years before the Child is born. But he speaks about a light dawning as if it has already happened. Because a word from God is certain—as certain as if it’s already completed.
A light has dawned. That’s verse 2. And the LORD God has increased the joy of His people. That’s verse 3.
And then verses 4, 5, and 6 begin with the word “for”. If your Bible doesn’t have the word “for” at the start of verse 5, it should. The translators made a choice, but neglect the poetry a little.
Stick with me here. Isaiah’s speaking about light and joy and how it’s going to happen, it’s going to be so, for the LORD God is going to move just as He did in Gideon’s day when Midian was defeated. Light and joy are going to come, for the outcome is as sure as the enemy is destroyed.
And now, the for in verse 6 is climactic. This explains everything.
Explains the change from darkness to light in verses 1-2; explains the joy of verse 3, explains the freedom of verse 4, explains the peace of verse 5.
Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…”
Ray Ortlund picks up the flow of thought as he writes:
“God’s answer to everything that has ever terrorized us is a child. The power of God is so far superior to the Assyrians and all the big shots of this world that He can defeat them by coming [to us] as a mere child.”
A child is born. A son is given.
Isaiah spends a great deal of time telling us about the child’s name and the child’s rule.
What His Name Tells Us
What His Name Tells Us
This child, you may notice, has a four-fold name. He’s going to be called by a lot of different names. Already in Isaiah 7, we read the child born to the virgin will be called Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
This child is God with us.
And here, he will be call-ed:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Each of these is an intriguing part of who He is, a compelling part of His character. This is yet another hint that this child is no mere child. There’s more to Him than meets the eye.
“This Child is God’s answer to everything that ever terrorized us.” - Ray Ortlund
As I said last week: The LORD’s answer for all the problems before us, His plan to deal with everything that assails us, His remedy to all the power of darkness and hell is what?!
A Child.
This Child is: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His name tells us He is God. The wonder element of “Wonderful Counselor” is equivalent to deity, something supernatural.
At a significant point in Genesis, the LORD asks Sarah [and Abraham], “Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?”
In the Psalms, David declares that the LORD’s knowledge of Him is too wonderful for him to grasp.
This Child is wonderful. He is God. Supernatural. He will be able to see and discern the right path to take at any time—the polar opposite of any and all worldly kings/leaders.
As a wonderful counselor, His supernatural wisdom is available to His people at all times, in all their trouble and distress; counsel available to them when they’re bothered and perplexed.
He is Wonderful Counselor. And Mighty God.
This phrase—Mighty God—refers, not only to this Child, but is often used of the LORD Yahweh Himself.
This means, in this Child, there is protection. He is Mighty and He is God.
Listen to this explanation:
“[This Child] is, therefore, called the Mighty God, for the same reason that He was formerly called Immanuel. For if we find in Christ nothing but the flesh and nature of man, our glorying will be foolish and vain, and our hope will rest on an uncertain and insecure foundation; but if He shows Himself to be to us God and the Mighty God, we may now rely [fully] on Him [and find in Him our] safety.”
-John Calvin
Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father.
A father is a protector, which is the task of the ideal king and is also the way God Himself cares for His people. If Mighty God speaks of His power and might to fight for and defend His people, everlasting Father speaks to the tenderness and care He has for His people in all their circumstances.
Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.
When you hear “peace” don’t think like a 21st Century American. This is not some psychological ‘inner peace’. The Child is, as Dale Ralph Davis says, “peace in this nasty world.” He is the Ruler whose reign will bring about peace on the world scale. He will bring peace in a world of oppression and war and combat.
This is no hippy-dippy peace brought about by some namby-pamby figure. To bring peace in such a world takes a Mighty God. Peace of this sort comes by force.
This Child, this Prince of Peace, will operate as in the day of Midian’s defeat (remember verse 4!).
Isaiah 9:4 “For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.”
Psalm 46:9 “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”
The Prince of Peace has the power—utter and ultimate power—“to bring and enforce peace, even in a world where many don’t care to have it.” -DRD
This Child’s four-fold name tells us a lot about who He is. It’s His character. His nature. His way with His people.
He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This is more than information; this matters for us. I don’t think we can honestly read this or sit and listen to this without being moved.
Think about all this Child is. Consider who He is.
To hear of His guidance and power and affection for us, His people, and to not be led to adoration, to worship…
We should be overcome, overwhelmed, overjoyed by this Child, this Son given to us.
Why His Rule Assures Us
Why His Rule Assures Us
This child is the King to end all kings, saving us from our failure, lifting us into His own justice and righteousness. He is Jesus Christ the LORD, our crucified, risen, reigning, and coming Savior.
We read here about His rule, His reign as the King of kings. What we’re told here about His rule and reign is meant to assure us. We read that:
His rule will be final. There will be no end…from that time on and forever.
His rule is final. This is what the angel said to Mary, announcing Jesus’ birth.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
He will reign forever. His kingdom will never end. There will be no end to His rule and reign. We don’t have to wonder what’s next or question who is going to take power after Him.
He is the final ruler. There is no other. His government and peace are eternal, everlasting, forever and ever. There’s wonderful assurance there.
His rule is covenantal. That is, it springs from the covenant God made with David when He promised David a descendant on his throne forever.
16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”
This child—Jesus—is the descendant of David, the One to sit on His throne forever, per the promise made. The covenant kept.
Of course God keeps His Word. He always does. He holds His covenant, regardless of the faithfulness (or faithlessness) of the people on the other side of the covenant.
This Child will rule/reign forever, a fulfillment of the LORD’s promise. Just one more thing we can hang our hat on. One more truth we can rest in.
His rule is just. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness…
The holiness of God will be reflected by the rule of this Child. His rule is devoted to justice in practice and righteousness in principle.
Most kingdoms are established by iniquity, by the unjust overthrow of others. But not this Child’s reign. No, the kingdom of the Messiah will be established in righteousness and will extend and perpetuate justice and righteousness for ever.
Matthew Henry writes: “Everything is, and shall be, well-managed in the kingdom of Christ, and none of His subjects shall ever have cause to complain.”
Isaiah 9:7 “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…”
Of course God keeps His Word. He always does. He holds His covenant, regardless of the faithfulness (or faithlessness) of the people on the other side of the covenant.
There’s deep assurance here for us. What more than that do we need, not only at Christmastime, but at every point in our lives?
Assurance. Certainty. Absolute guarantee. Isn’t that what we’re looking for? Where do we find it? In Jesus, the Child born, the Son given.
He, the Child—Jesus—is the final Ruler. The only King we need, and the only King there will be. He will never fail us. He will never be unjust or wicked. He will never abdicate His throne or be overthrown. No power of darkness or hell will ever overpower Him.
No! He shall reign forever and ever. Forever and ever.
This Child—Jesus, the Messiah—will not come back to tweak this problem and that. He will return with a massive correction of all systemic evil. Forever.
Forever! “And He shall reign forever and ever!”
Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end.
His empire of grace will expand forever. And every moment will be better than the last.
The Child’s rule, and only His rule, will give us any assurance.
There are always poor substitutes offered to us. You don’t have to look very far at all.
In early 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt started his fourth term as President of the United States. Germany and Japan were nearly defeated. At his inauguration, FDR said this, “The great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward.”
Um. No. It’s not. Not even if a president declares it to be so. FDR’s civilization or any other under any leader is a lousy substitute for a righteous dominion that has no end.
The Child’s rule, and only His rule, will give us any assurance. Our hope is in Him, the FINAL, COVENANT, JUST King.
How This is Accomplished
How This is Accomplished
Here in Isaiah 9, we have one incredible promise after the other, all centered on the arrival of a child, a son. It seems, from what Isaiah says here, that this is all too much. There’s reason for a little skepticism. Especially if you’re living in the time Isaiah is writing this.
Go back to 732 B.C. and take a look. Israel is divided. Tiglath-pileser III has turned the northern parts of Israel into Assyrian provinces. The southern kingdom has been hammered by the Philistines and Edomites. The house of David is ruled by a buffoon named Ahaz who is ready to hand the keys of the kingdom over to Assyria. It’s bleak; looks really, really rough.
And then Isaiah, the prophet of Judah, speaks all of this. It seems hopeless. No way all this about a child has any chance of coming about.
It doesn’t seem likely. Or possible. Not even plausible.
But then you tack on that last phrase in verse 7:
Isaiah 9:7 (NIV)
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.
The people would have trouble believing any part of what Isaiah was saying. He knows you and I, in that situation, are going to have trouble believing this. So the LORD Almighty has Isaiah add this final phrase: “The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
Zeal is intense desire to accomplish something. This means that the establishment of this kingdom was an object of intense and ardent desire on the part of the LORD.
Nothing else than the zeal of the LORD Almighty can or would accomplish this. The LORD Almighty will do this—that’s how this will be accomplished. The LORD will pull-off His plans; it’s certain. He is zealous to get this done, and there’s nothing to stop Him.
Of course, living where and when we do, we know the LORD has accomplished this already.
The child has been born.
A son has been given; God gave to us His one and only Son, who died in our place, for our sins, and rose from the grave for our justification (God is both just and the One who justifies).
The Risen Savior has all authority in heaven and on earth; He says so. He rules the world, with truth and grace.
Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor; follow Him.
He is Mighty God; hide in Him.
He is Everlasting Father; enjoy Him.
He is the Prince of Peace; welcome His rule.
There is no end to His rule. He will reign forever and ever.
Jesus is the “Difference-Making Child” Isaiah speaks of here.
Jesus makes all the difference, not just in our individual lives, but in this world.
Apart from Jesus, there is no light, only darkness. No joy, only gloom. No hope, no assurance, no life.
But with Him, whew…
With Jesus, there’s light and life.
There’s hope of something better than this.
Assurance of life abundant, life eternal.
With Him, there’s nothing we lack, now or ever. Jesus makes all the difference.
I pray you know Him and belong to Him.
If you don’t, let today be the day. Turn from your sin and yourself, and come to Jesus.
He truly is all you need.
