The King Who Was Promised
Glory to the Newborn King • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Good morning, Church! It is so good to be back home with you after a trip to Houston. My family is glad to be back in Central Missouri where we belong. I want to thank the elders and deacons for leading the church while I was away. I understand that no beats were skipped and ministry was still impactful, and I thank the Lord for the godly men and women that serve and lead in our church.
PJ, Thomas, thank you both for bringing the Word of God to our church in my absence. If you have not listened to those sermons from our brothers, I would highly encourage you to give them both a listen and be blessed.
If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, please turn with me to Isaiah 9. We are starting our Advent series today. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means arrival or approach. It is a Christian season of preparation. When you look at our society’s Christmas season it is a time for preparation—but not in a Christian way. Often it is in an anti-Christian way.
How much stress revolves around this holiday for so many people? I know of many folks that spend way too much money on presents and their house is already full of stuff. There are so many parties with so much food that after Christmas everyone needs to diet. There’s plenty of events for everyone to be a part of that people forget boundaries or rest, so people have to recoup by neglecting the important matters of life and goodwill toward man. I honestly don’t think that this is why Christ came. Christ didn’t come to bring stress but to bring salvation. He didn’t arrive to be a burden but to be a benefit.
Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the King that was born. We’re going to look at the promises made and kept and we will conclude with the truth that Christ will return and what the return of the King will be like.
Now, we are going to be in Isaiah 9. Let me give you some context to our passage: The nation of Israel had gone through a period of civil unrest and had divided into two kingdoms. A wicked and evil kingdom called Israel or Ephraim in the north and a moderate kingdom with good and bad kings in the south called Judah. Israel made an allegiance with a godless nation known as Syria and joined forces to attack Judah. Their goal was to depose the Judean king whose name was Ahaz. Why? Another nation that God raised up to judge Israel was preparing to attack. It’s name was Assyria and it was spreading over the Middle East. Syria (not Assyria) and Israel were in a godless alliance and sought to strengthen themselves by taking over Judah.
What Israel is doing is they are attacking God’s covenant promise, and so God tells Ahaz to trust in Him and offers a sign. But Ahaz refuses, yet God still promises a sign: Immanuel. Because Ahaz rejected God, the Assyrians are granted success by God to sweep through Israel in the north and Judah in the south.
The leader of the Assyrian Empire was a man named Tiglath-Pileser III who invaded the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali in the north. This means that they suffered first and the worst. It also meant occupation by a Gentile nation and led to them being spiritually and politically marginalized.
So Isaiah 9 is a prophecy about God’s great solution. It’s about a new Davidic King that would come, not some renewed version of Ahaz. Where Ahaz was filled with unfaithfulness, fear, and compromise, the King that God will raise up is none of those things.
Let’s stand together in honor of God’s Word as we read Isaiah 9:1-7
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 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. 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. 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. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of 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. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
As I said, the promise of Christ’s birth was given to Judah during a time of deep distress, gloom, and darkness.
In fact, the end of chapter 8 says
22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
We must remember that this is prophecy, and Isaiah often speaks in vivid images. When he describes darkness, gloom, and distress, he’s not talking about a cloudy afternoon. He’s describing absolutely terrible and horrific times—men killed, women and children murdered or taken as slaves, a whole people crushed.
But then there’s this promise. Some translations begin chapter 9 with “Nevertheless,” which means “In spite of all this.” In spite of how awful these times and seasons are, there is a sure and unwavering hope that you can find in the Lord! God’s Word says that there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. This word is not simply for the Jewish people; it is for all who come to Christ, because Christ was born for you.
You see, God allowed Zebulun and Naphtali to be razed to nothing. But those places saw the most ministry during the time of Jesus. It was in these lands that were ransacked that Capernaum and Cana and Nazareth were. The whole region of Galilee!
17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
So the darkness and terrible times are real, but they’re not final. As Christians, we know this. We live through terrible times as believers. We know of thousands of Christians that are brutally murdered for their faith every single year in Nigeria, North Korea, and Pakistan.
And we know that:
The Promise Was Made in the Midst of Gloom
The Promise Was Made in the Midst of Gloom
Faith sees the darkness but believes the light has overcome it. This is the truth of Christ’s arrival here on earth. Jesus is John 1:4-5
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the dawn of salvation, the end of gloom, darkness, and distress. When Christ is truly born into the heart of a Christian, we no longer live for darkness, but we abide in the light of Christ. We know this because the prophets’ ministry was to the Jews, but it was written for us.
12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
The Old Testament prophets were serving a future people, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. A diverse people that needed the freedom and deliverance that only the Gospel can bring. The prophets wrote these things down for our instruction too.
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. In other words, the Gospel message of the Kingdom is preached in every single book of the Bible.
In Genesis, Christ is the One who crushed the serpent’s head. In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb who covered and saved the people from death. In Leviticus, He is the Great High Priest. In Numbers He is the bronze serpent that gives life. In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like Moses whom we must listen to. In Joshua He is the Captain of the Lord’s army that leads His people to victory. In Judges, He is the True and Righteous Judge that rescues us from our sin. In Ruth, He is our Kinsman-Redeemer. In 1-2 Samuel He is the anointed and promised King of Israel. In 1-2 Kings He is the faithful King that never sins or leads His people astray. In 1-2 Chronicles He is the true Son of David whose Kingdom is forever. In Ezra He is the One Who restores and brings His people back from exile. In Nehemiah He is the rebuilder of broken lives. In Esther, He is the unseen protector who saves us from destruction.
In Job He is our Redeemer who lives. In Psalms He is the Shepherd, the Stone, the Suffering Savior. In Proverbs, He is the wisdom of God. In Ecclesiastes, He is the true meaning of life. In Song of Solomon, He is the Bridegroom of His beloved.
In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch who makes a new covenant with us. In Lamentations, He is the Man of Sorrows who weeps over sin. In Ezekiel He is the true Shepherd. In Daniel He is the Son of Man given everlasting dominion. Hosea says He is the faithful husband who loves His faithless bride. Joel tells us that He pours out His Spirit on all flesh. Amos teaches us that He is the restorer of David’s fallen throne. Obadiah teaches us that He is the Savior on Mount Zion who judges His enemies. Jonah teaches us that He is the resurrected Savior. The prophet Micah tells us He is the Shepherd-King born in Bethlehem. Nahum teaches us that He is the stronghold in the day of trouble. Habakkuk tells us He is the One in whom the just live by faith. Zephaniah teaches that He is the mighty Savior who rejoices over His people with singing. In Haggai He is the desire of all nations. In Zechariah He is the one Who comes riding on a donkey. In Malachi He is the Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings.
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Jesus is the story. It’s all His story. But God was working out redemption and He explains the promise
The Promise Gives Reasons for Joy
The Promise Gives Reasons for Joy
Look at verse 3: God has multiplied the nation and increased its joy, and it’s like the harvest. My wife likes to keep a garden. Nothing big, just a few tomato plants, some peppers, maybe a few other things. We don’t get much in terms of a harvest, but when we do, boy do I know it! “Look at my tomato!” She’s excited for it, right?
We’re not in an agrarian society, but imagine for a moment that your whole life is determined completely by whether or not you have a decent harvest. How excited would you be if your fields were full of grain and produce?
You see, when the great light has shone on our darkened heart and mind, we experience multiplied, tremendous joy! It increases!
35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Verse 4 tells us that there is another reason for joy: it’s because God breaks oppression. That yoke of burden is a reminder of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. And God breaks the yoke of bondage and sets us free in Christ. The staff and rod remind us of Gideon and the deliverance he brought, but true freedom is found in Jesus Christ.
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
You hear that? Liberty for those who are oppressed! If you want freedom, you come to Jesus. If you want hope, you come to Jesus. If you want joy, you come to Jesus.
Another reason is because God will, one day, put an end to war forever. No more fighting, no more memories of war. All will pass away. It reminds us that this is part of the purpose of the Lord of Hosts:
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
The Promise is Kept Through the Son
The Promise is Kept Through the Son
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
This child is Immanuel who was promised in Isaiah 7:14
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.
He is the Savior
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
He is the ruler from eternity past
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
And we learn about what this Child shall be called. He is firstly: Wonderful Counselor
In Christ the fullness of God dwelt bodily. Did you know that Jesus always knows what to say? Many times if people come and talk to me, my initial thought is, “What do I say in this situation?” but never so with Jesus. He sympathizes with us and understands how we feel and knows situations better than we ourselves know, yet He also is able to speak in such a way that His words hit hard and gentle.
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
This child is also: Mighty God
This is the same title used to describe the Lord. He is mighty, meaning powerful, overwhelming force. He is the creator and sustainer of all things and all people.
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
People will say Jesus never claimed to be God which is totally false. All Scripture says it and Jesus claimed it through His “I Am” statements and He proved it through His victory over death.
This child is: Everlasting Father
Jesus is not the Father but to see the Son is to see the Father. “Everlasting Father” does not mean Jesus is God the Father. It means the Messiah is the eternal King who cares for His people with perfect fatherly compassion and protection forever. Same nature, different person, father-like in His rule.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Jesus is careful to make a distinction that He and the Father are different but they are also one
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
This child is also called: Prince of Peace
He is the Prince of Peace because He paid for peace with His wounds. It is only Jesus that brings true and lasting peace
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
He is our peace and He unifies us where He can reconcile us together truthfully: Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, white or black, red or blue. We can experience this peace when we come to Him through His shed blood on the cross.
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
The peace of Christ is not found in our efforts or will, but its found by faith in His shed blood for you.
But notice that tied to the arrival of Christ is also the promotion of His government. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a distant Kingdom, but is now.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
At hand is just another way of saying “It’s here!”
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Christ was preaching the message of His nation, and it’s a message that expands His government. The message of the Gospel is what changes the world, and as the message of the Gospel goes forth, it should change communities and nations. What good is morality if there is no Gospel?
Moral people go to hell just as quickly as wicked people. It’s not about your goodness, it’s about faith in Christ.
Church, his promise in Isaiah 9 was never meant to stay locked in the eighth century B.C. It was aimed beyond Ahaz, beyond Judah, beyond even ethnic Israel.
Isaiah 9:1 calls this region “Galilee of the nations.” Not just Galilee of the Jews—Galilee of the nations. Already in Isaiah, the Lord is hinting: “I am going to do something here that spills over the borders of Israel. I am going to shine this light on the world.”
That’s exactly what God promised Abraham:
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
This is an unconditional promise to Abram to bless the nations through, not the Jewish nation, but through Jesus Christ. This is proven by what Paul says in Galatians,
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
From the beginning this One Who would crush the serpent’s head was the King of Creation. The child of Isaiah 9, the King on David’s throne, is not only the King of Judah—He is the King of the nations. He is the King of Nigerians and North Koreans and Pakistanis who suffer for His Name. He is the King of Americans who think they don’t need Him. He is the King of people sitting in pews in Camdenton this morning. And He demands, and deserves, our complete trust.
Where does Jesus begin His public ministry? Right where Isaiah pointed.
13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
The first place to feel the crushing boot of Assyria became the first place to feel the gentle feet of the Savior. The land that was shamed first experienced the light of God first. That’s how He works. He loves to step into places of deepest darkness with the brightest light, so there is no doubt who did it.
Isaiah was serving you, Christian. The Holy Spirit had you in mind when He spoke of this Child, this Son, this King. God wanted you to know, in your gloom, in your distress, in your fear, that there is a King whose government will never end, whose peace cannot be broken, whose rule is perfectly wise, powerful, fatherly, and peace-giving.
So the question as we close is not, “Was the promise made?” or “Was the promise kept?”
The question is:
Will You Believe the Promise of God?
Will You Believe the Promise of God?
Look again at verse 6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder…” That word government doesn’t mean a constitutional republic. It’s a kingdom. In fact, in the Hebrew the word is misrah, which means domination. It’s not so much about the system of government as much as it is about the extent of His dominion.
The government is not on your shoulders. It’s not on the shoulders of Washington, or Jefferson City, or the economy, or your health, or your emotions, or your performance as a dad or mom or student. It is on His shoulders.
Some of you are living like the whole world rests on you. You’re carrying fears about your kids, your marriage, your finances, your future, your church, this country—and you’re crumbling under a weight that was never meant to be on you. That’s Ahaz-thinking: trying to maneuver, calculate, make alliances, control outcomes instead of trusting the Lord.
Isaiah 9 is a call to lay that down and trust the King.
If Jesus really is the Wonderful Counselor, why do you keep trusting your own wisdom more than His Word?
If He is truly the Mighty God, why are you acting as if your sin, or your past, or our culture is stronger than He is?
If He is the Everlasting Father, why do you still live like a spiritual orphan, searching for identity and security?
If He is the Prince of Peace, why are you looking for peace in more money, more comfort, more distraction, instead of in His blood-bought reconciliation?
You cannot have the comfort of Jesus’ Christmas titles without bowing to the reality of His Kingship. You cannot enjoy “unto us a child is born” if you refuse “the government shall be upon His shoulder.”
For some of you, the most honest thing you could say this morning is: “I am still in darkness. I have heard about Jesus, sung about Jesus, maybe even grown up in church, but I have never really surrendered to this King. I am still running my own little kingdom.”
The good news of Advent is that the King did not wait for you to climb up to Him; He came down. He entered our gloom, took our sin, bore the wrath we deserve, died on the cross, and rose again so that “the people who walked in darkness” could “see a great light.”
So hear His own summary of the kingdom:
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
That is the call today.
Repent: Turn from your sin, from your self-rule, from your false hopes and idols.
Believe: Trust that this Child, this Son, crucified and risen, is enough to save you, to forgive you, to bring you into His kingdom.
Christian, this is also a call for you. Where in your life are you resisting His authority?
Is there bitterness you’re nursing that the Prince of Peace is commanding you to lay down?
Is there secret sin you’re hiding that the Mighty God is calling you to bring into the light?
Is there fear about the future where the Everlasting Father is saying, “Child, I’ve got you”?
This Advent, don’t just admire the baby in the manger. Bow to the King on the throne. Open your hands, open your home, open your calendar, open your fears, and say, “Lord Jesus, increase Your government in me. Rule over my thoughts, my desires, my family, my church. Let there be no corner of my life where I say, ‘No entrance’ to the King.”
Because verse 7 ends with this promise: “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Not your zeal. Not your willpower. His zeal. The Lord of armies is personally committed to finishing what He started in Christ. He will see to it that this kingdom comes, that this light spreads, that this peace endures, that His people are kept.
So trust Him today.
Trust Him with your soul.
Trust Him with your suffering.
Trust Him with your family.
Trust Him with this church.
Trust Him with the future.
The Child has been born.
The Son has been given.
The King is on the throne.
Come to Him in repentance and faith—and walk in the light of King Jesus.
Head: God wants you to know that Jesus Christ is the promised King of Isaiah 9—the Child born, the Son given, whose rule and peace extend to all nations and never end.
Heart: God wants you to believe that this King is able and willing to rule your life—that His grace is enough for your sin, His power is greater than your darkness, and His peace is stronger than your fear.
Hand: God wants you to submit a specific area of your life to His rule this week—lay down self-rule, trust His Word, and walk in the light of His kingdom rather than the darkness of your own understanding.
