The Light of Christmas # 2: Unto us a Child is Born; Isaiah 9:1-7

KID’S CORNER: Have you ever been afraid of the dark? One time, when I was around your age, I was trying to fall asleep in my room at night. My bedroom door was open, and I could see into the living room. All the lights were off, but I could see a person sitting in a chair- a very scary-looking, skeleton-like person. I was so scared I couldn’t go to sleep. Everyone else was asleep- my sister was asleep in her room, my parents were asleep on the other side of the house, I was all alone in the dark & I didn’t know what to do. I had to go to that chair and see what it was. So, I got out of the bed very quietly, snuck into the living room, & quickly turned on the light to find… (dun, dun, dun) What do you think I found?

Someone had left their coat on a chair, but from where I was, in my room, in the dark, it looked like a skeleton!

Do you know that sometimes life is going to feel dark? There will be times when you will feel afraid, sad, & lonely. There will be times when you will not know what to do, or where to go, or who to turn to. It’s those times when you need to turn to the Light. (click flashlight)

Do you know who the Light is?The Light is Jesus. Christmas is all about Jesus. Christmas lights help us remember that Jesus is the Light of the World. He is the Light that shines in the darkness. He is the Light of life.

I want to pray for you, then I’ve got a little gift for you to remind you that Jesus is the Light of Christmas. PRAY

INTRO: This Christmas, our theme verse is Matthew 4:16, The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. If you are having a particularly gloomy Christmas season, Jesus is the light that has dawned, the light that shines in the darkness, the light of the world.

Last week we began to set that verse in its biblical and historical context from Isaiah. The story begins with another well-known prophetic text about Immanuel- 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.What we saw is that Immanuel is a sign of faith, a sign of God’s faithfulness, & a sign of people’s failure.

The people in that story wouldn’t trust God and were turning to other things besides God & His Word, because there was no light in them.

Without the light of God, they would fall into great despair. Isaiah 8:21-22says they will be hard-pressed and hungry, they will look up and curse God, then “they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.”

That’s where we will pick up with Isaiah 9. They are in darkness, but God will not leave them that way.

Isaiah 9:1–7, Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

This text is all about the child Immanuel (Is 7:14), the sign that, even though God’s people will be oppressed, this child will bring them light.

1. This Child is the Light of LIFE(Vss. 1-2)

This prophecy is continued from ch. 8. The gloom recalls the gloom of anguish in 8:22. Their distress is that they were hard-pressed & hungry. This is because they were besieged by Assyria. Zebulun & Naphtali were the 2 most northern tribes of Israel & were the first to fall to invasion. The people were dispersed, the land occupied by foreigners, & the ones left were oppressed = darkness.

By the time of the New Testament, the tribal territories of Zebulun & Naphtali became known as Galilee, & most of the inhabitants were Gentiles, i.e., Galilee of the Gentiles.

These are the ones who were distressed, walked in darkness, lived in the shadow of death.When you think about the hard stuff of life, this is it right- physical distress of hunger & hardship, spiritual darkness, the threat of death hanging over you. We know that feeling.

This region called Galilee is where Jesus’ family settled, & where Jesus grew up. Matthew 4:13–16, And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

Jesus is the Light of Life. Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, when you feel like darkness is covering you- Jesus knows your pain and sees through the darkness. The things that are darkness to us, they are as light to Him.

2. This Child is the Light of LIBERTY(Vss. 3-5)

ILL: Have you ever been in the pitch-black of darkness before dawn?Darkness so thick you can’t see anything, but then the 1st rays of the pre-dawn sun begin to arise. What brightness, what hope, what joy!

(3) The dawning light dispels the darkness & replaces it with joy. The kind of joy they experience & express is the kind that comes at harvest time. You know how it feels when all your hard work pays off. The kind of joy that comes after soldiers win a great victory & take home the spoils of war. You know how it feels when you’ve fought a long, hard battle, & you won. That is Joy!

Three reasons for their joy, marked off by the word “for” in vss. 4, 5, & 6. For You have broken the yoke of his burden… For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle… For unto us a Child is born…

Reason 1 (vs. 4), God will break the burden of the oppressor = LIBERTY

Reason 2 (vs. 5), the breaking of the oppressor’s burden means that war has ceased = PEACE

Reason 3 (vs. 6), the breaking of the oppressor’s burden & the end of the fighting is because of this child, a new King = ORDER

Later in Isaiah, he will connect this coming King to the promised Messiah- Isaiah 61:1-2, The Spirit of the Lord Godis upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn...” When Jesus came on the scene & began preaching in Galilee, in His hometown of Nazareth, in the synagogue, He read this passage & said it was fulfilled in Him (Luke 4:16-21).

Jesus is this child, the light of life, the light that brings liberty peace, & order to our live, & He is the Light of the World.

3. This Child is the Light of LORDSHIP(Vss. 6-7)

ILL: Have you ever been to a restaurant that had really bad service? The servers were just rude, they didn’t get your order right, they weren’t attentive & didn’t meet your needs, or fulfill your expectations… So, you quit going, & you don’t plan to go back. But then you hear they are under new management & you decide to give it another try. When you do, you are pleasantly surprised because it’s like a total reversal! Now the wait staff make you feel welcome, get everything right, pay attention to you, make sure you are taken care of, & service surpasses your wildest imagination. What made the difference? The Leader.

Isaiah 9:6-7 are two well-used prophecies around Christmas time. Just like Isaiah 7:14, there is a near fulfillment & a far fulfillment. The near fulfillment was probably Ahaz’s son Hezekiah. The immediate hopes for their future were for a new leader, a new king, sitting on David’s throne. The far-reaching promise points to Jesus. He is the King we all need!

Isaiah records 5 things about this coming Messiah, i.e., Christ Child.

1. A Son is given-Jesus is the eternal Son of God in the flesh

2. He will govern rightly-He is the Great Shepherd & King

3. Who He is and what He is like is revealed in 4 names:

o He is a Counselor who is Wonderful

o He is God, who is Mighty

o He is a Father, who is Everlasting

o He is a Prince who brings Peace

4. His reign is eternal & rules in righteousness (judgment & justice)

5. God is the one who will do it (His Zeal will perform it)

When the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a Son, he said- Luke 1:30-33, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.

Weirsbe- declares both the humanity (“A Child is born”) and the deity (“A Son is given”) of the Lord Jesus Christ… God had promised David that his dynasty and throne would be established forever; and this is fulfilled literally in Jesus Christ...”

So, what does this mean for us, what are the takeaways? (1) If you are in distress, darkness, & under the shadow of death, Jesus is the Light of life. John 1:3-4, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Jesus is the eternal Son of God through whom all things were made, including you! If you are in darkness, He is the Light.

(2) If you are, like the people in our story, in some kind of bondage- sin, addiction, struggle, Jesus came to bring you liberty, peace, & order. John 1:5, And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it… John 1:9, That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. Jesus is the light to give you liberty.

(3) If your life is disordered, you don’t need a new leader; you need a new Lord. You are not cutting it, & you need new management. How do you get it? Not by Indeed, you can’t hire it out, but you can enthrone Him within. John 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.