Hope Promised

Good Afternoon Church! Today we officially enter the Advent season here at IFEC, and we’re doing so by beginning a three-part series we’ve titled Hope Has a Name. And let me tell you why this matters. This time of year, it’s easy to get distracted—gifts to buy, kids finishing school, family gatherings, events, travel, with all the pressure and noise that December can bring. We can become overwhelmed and miss the person we’re supposed to remember.

However when we gather here on Sundays, I want us to refocus our hearts. My desire is that each Sunday during this Advent season would become a moment of rest for us—a time to slow down, to breathe, and remember why we gather: to behold the coming of our Savior, the Word who became flesh. Now, we know that Jesus wasn’t necessarily born in December, but we choose this season to remember and celebrate the miracle of His Advent.

So over the next three Sundays, we’re going to look at hope from three different angles.

First, we will look at the Hope that was Promised, as we go back to the prophet Isaiah (OT) and hear the promise God made long before the birth of Christ. Next week, we’ll look at Hope Announced, through the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary. And then we’ll conclude with Hope Revealed, as we meditate on the birth of our Savior in Luke’s Gospel.

That’s will be our journey for this Advent season. So if you’ll walk with us through these next three weeks, my prayer is that your heart will be anchored in the hope God has provided for us in Christ. Now, let’s begin with today’s text.

Please open your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 through 7, and let us read the Word of the Lord together.

Isaiah 9:1–7 NASB 2020

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. (V2) The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. (V3) You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy; they will rejoice in Your presence as with the joy of harvest, as people rejoice when they divide the spoils. (V4) For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. (V5) For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. (V6) For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (V7) There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.

Now, before unpacking our text this afternoon we must first understand the setting and situation into which the prophet Isaiah is speaking into. This prophecy does not float in the air—it is a word spoken to real people, a broken people at a moment of national trauma.

THE SETTING: A NATION IN CRISIS

The prophecy of Isaiah 9 doesn’t rise from quiet fields, peaceful families, or a nation closely walking with its God.

It is actually the complete opposite. Isaiah is speaking into a land soon to be ravaged by war, exile, and despair.

Isaiah ministered from roughly 740–680 BC, during the reigns of the kings of Judah. The once-united kingdom of Israel had already fractured after Solomon and during his son Rehoboam’s reign (12 tribes)—ten tribes forming the northern kingdom of Israel (or Ephraim), and the remaining two tribes forming the southern kingdom Judah, where the line of David remained. Isaiah’s ministry was directed at the southern kingdom, yet here in Isaiah 9 he speaks directly about the northern regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. And with this in mind based on out text today we are going to look at three truths of advent hope:

I.  HOPE IN DARKNESS

Isaiah 9:1–2 NASB 2020

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.

As we approach or text the natural question is: Why them? If Isaiah’s ministry is to the kingdom of the south why address the kingdom of the north. Why Zebulun and Naphtali?

The answer is found in their geography. These tribes sat on the northern border of Israel—they were the first line of defense. So when the brutal Assyrian Empire marched southward in 732 BC, they would be the first ones to be invaded, the first ones to lose territory, the first ones to be dragged into exile, the first ones to collapse under foreign oppression.

Their farms burned, their villages emptied, their families shattered, their identity shaken.

This was the source of their “gloom” and “anguish:” the terror of an oncoming invasion and the loss of everything they knew. But the crisis wasn’t merely political—it was also spiritual.

1. In Isaiah 8, the prophet describes the condition of the nation:

They rejected God’s Word (8:20)

They sought mediums and sorcerers (consulting the dead on behalf of the living) (8:19)

They stumbled in unbelief and fear (8:14–15)

And then in (8:22) we are told that: they will be driven away into darkness.

This means that the external darkness of Assyria will actually be the outward expression of the inner darkness of their rebellion. They had replaced the living God with ungodly alliances, trust in earthly kings, and reliance on human wisdom. So God allowed Assyria to rise as His rod of discipline.

So, before we can feel the beauty of Isaiah 9, we must feel the weight of Israel’s condition:

2. A nation in political crisis

A people in spiritual rebellion

And a land swallowed in darkness

And this matters deeply for Advent.

It matters because Isaiah 9 is not just a pretty Christmas verse to share on your social media page. It is actually a promise spoken into sin, chaos and darkness a word of hope for people who had none.

And here is the beauty of the gospel:

3. The Messiah was not promised to the strong, to the stable, to the self-sufficient, but to the overwhelmed, to the oppressed, to the broken and the spiritually blind.

This is the soil into which God plants the seed of Advent hope. (A people in darkness) And that seed appears right at the end of V1:

Isaiah 9:1 NASB 2020

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. (Here’s the seed of hope) (How?)

You can almost hear Israel asking: How?

4. How can God make this ruined land glorious?

Isaiah provides the answer (V1b-2) “by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.”

And Matthew tells us exactly when and how this promise was fulfilled:

Matthew 4:12–16 NASB 2020

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, 13 He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. (V14-15) This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— (V16) The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”

5. Jesus steps into that very land—the forgotten region, the despised one, the spiritually neglected place where nobody expected the Messiah to appear. And the moment Jesus arrives, the land becomes glorious.

Why?

Because the glory of God is the manifestation of His holiness—and Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:6

2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB 2020

For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God (Where?) in the face of Christ.

Hebrews 1:1–3 NASB 2020

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, (V2) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. (V3) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

And what does Jesus do in Galilee?

He preaches the kingdom. He heals the sick. He casts out demons. He restores the broken. All of it—the signs, the miracles, the authority, the compassion—are the radiance of God’s glory (His holiness) shining in the region Isaiah once called “darkness and the shadow of death.” This is the first truth of Advent hope:

6. Jesus shines His brightest light in the darkest places—because true hope begins where human hope ends.

God delights to reveal His Son where darkness feels strongest. He loves to plant glory where shame once lived. He loves to make His presence known in the places everyone else would avoid.

And Isaiah wants us to see this: If God began His redemptive work in Zebulun and Naphtali, He can begin His redemptive work anywhere— including in the darkest corners of our own lives. (Second truth of advent hope)

II.  HOPE IN GOD’S PROMISE

Isaiah 9:3–5 NASB 2020

You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy; they will rejoice in Your presence as with the joy of harvest, as people rejoice when they divide the spoils. (V4) For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. (V5) For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle, and cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

Here in V3-5 Isaiah shows us that God’s promise doesn’t just speak into darkness — it speaks beyond it. In these verses, the prophet describes the kind of salvation the Messiah will bring.

First,

7. God promises to multiply the nation. (What does that mean?)

At first glance, it echoes God’s covenant with Abraham—where God promised to multiply Abraham’s descendants as the stars. But in Isaiah’s immediate context, the promise sounds impossible. The nation was not expanding—it’s was collapsing. Assyria would invade, families will be displaced, the population will shrinking, and the land will be emptied. Yet God says He will multiply the nation. In other words, God is promising preservation, not annihilation. Israel may be crushed, but they will not be extinguished.

However Isaiah wants us to see more than mere survival.

This promise is also the beginning of a covenant renewal—a renewed fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. The “multiplying” Isaiah describes here is not merely ethnic or numerical; it is missional and global. It anticipates a Messiah whose kingdom will grow beyond the borders of Israel and gather people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This is why the prophecy centers on Galilee of the Gentiles, and this is why Matthew quotes Isaiah 9 as soon as Jesus begins His ministry in that very region.

8. The promise that God would multiply the nation reaches its fulfillment in Christ.

Through Him, God does not merely preserve a people—He creates a new people: the true children of Abraham drawn from all nations under the reign of the promised King.

Galatians 3:13–14 NASB 2020

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a Tree”—(V14) in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:28–29 NASB 2020

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (multiply the nation)

Second,

9. Isaiah says that God will increase their joy — and he used two images to describe it: Joy like the harvest and Joy like when dividing spoils.

Joy like the harvest: For ancient Israel, harvest was one of the happiest moments of the year. It marked the end of months of uncertainty, it represented God’s provision and abundance, and it symbolized God turning labor into blessing. So, joy of harvest means deep relief + satisfaction + abundance because of God’s faithfulness.

Joy like when dividing spoils: This was post-war celebration

It meant the enemy had been defeated.

Israel survived.

The threat was gone.

There was abundance to share.

And victory had been given by God

So: joy because of the Spoils = means joy rooted in God’s triumph

Isaiah stacks these images to say:

10. The Messiah will bring a joy that is both abundant and victorious — a joy that only God can create.

Third,

11. God will break the yoke of their burden just as He did in the days of Midian.

This is a reference to the book of Judges, when God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 reminding us that salvation does not come by human strength but by divine intervention. The Messiah’s salvation will be as miraculous, unexpected, and God-centered as Gideon’s victory.

12. Israel will not save itself. God will break the oppressor’s rod by His own hand.

And finally,

13. Isaiah makes a reference to the instruments of war — boots, armor, blood-soaked cloaks — that will be burned.

(Why?) 14. Because the Messiah ushers in a peace so complete that war itself becomes unnecessary.

This is the promise of God. And this is why we have hope: because what God promises, God fulfills.

So what does this mean for us today?

It means that the same God who spoke into Israel’s darkness speaks into ours. The same God who promised joy to a broken nation promises joy to broken hearts. The same God who shattered the yoke of Israel’s oppressor breaks the yokes we carry—fear, anxiety, sin, shame, weariness and uncertainty about the future.

Advent is a reminder that God does His best work in the dark. When you feel like you are shrinking, God is still multiplying His grace. When joy feels far away, God is preparing a harvest you cannot yet see. When burdens feel heavy, God is the One who breaks the yoke. When the world feels violent and chaotic, Christ is the Prince of Peace whose kingdom will not fail.

Advent teaches us this:

15. We do not place our hope in our strength, in politics, in people, or in circumstances.

16. We place our hope in the God who keeps His promises—because He kept the greatest promise of all by sending His Son.

Isaiah has taken us from the darkness of the people, to the promise of God—but now he leads us to the heart of our hope: the Messiah Himself. The fulfillment of every promise in verses 3–5 will come through a Child. A Child who is both human and divine. A Child who will rule. A Child whose coming will change everything. (Third truth of advent hope)

III . HOPE IN GOD’S MESSIAH

Isaiah 9:6–7 NASB 2020

For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.

1. “A child will be born… a son will be given” — the miracle of God’s salvation

Isaiah reminds Israel—and us—that God saves the world not through armies, strategies, or human wisdom, but through humility. A Child. A Son. God comes into the world in weakness to break the power of evil.

17. The hope of the world rests not on what we give to God, but on what He has given to us.

2. “The government will rest upon His shoulders” — This is no mere child. This child is a King.

Isaiah here is using royal language that would have been instantly understood in the ancient world. When a king was crowned, a key symbol of authority—like a robe, a key, or a sash—was placed on his shoulders. The shoulders symbolized strength, responsibility, and the weight of rule.

So when Isaiah says “the government will rest on His shoulders,” he is saying far more than “He will be in charge.” This phrase carries five major implications:

He carries the full weight of ruling God’s people (Human leaders share responsibility. Kings, generals, priests, officials—all carry part of the load) But Isaiah says the entire government—the whole kingdom, every aspect of rule—rests on Him alone.

His rule is based on divine authority, not human approval (In Isaiah’s time, kings rose and fell because of political alliances, military power, armies, or national stability) But this Child’s authority doesn’t come from: elections, popularity, military might, or human support.

He governs with perfect wisdom, power, justice, and compassion.

His kingdom brings the end of oppressive rule (In verses 4–5, Isaiah described the yoke, the rod, and the bar, symbols of Assyria’s crushing power) Israel knew what it was like for the wrong government to rest on their shoulders. Now God flips the image: No longer will Israel carry the weight of oppression. The Messiah will carry the weight of deliverance. What once sat on Israel’s shoulders will now sit on His.

His kingdom covers every realm of life. “Government” here does not only mean politics. It means rule, dominion, order, and authority over everything. Meaning the Messiah: governs our spiritual life, governs the church, governs creation, governs the nations, governs history, governs the future, governs the hearts of His people. Nothing falls outside His shoulders. No part of life is beyond His reign.

His shoulders are strong enough for our burdens: And because He carries the government, we don’t have to carry the weight of:

fixing our lives,

securing our own future,

achieving our own salvation,

holding the world together,

If the government—the whole kingdom—rests on His shoulders, then: We can rest on His shoulders too.

Implications:

He carries what we cannot.

He bears the responsibility for His people’s well-being.

His reign doesn’t depend on circumstances.

No nation or king can threaten His throne.

His kingdom is unshakeable because its foundation is divine.

Isaiah has told us what the Messiah will do—He will carry the kingdom on His shoulders.

Now he proceeds by telling us who the Messiah is. The phrase ‘His name shall be called’ is covenant language. It means: This is His nature. This is His character. This is His eternal identity.

And in four titles, Isaiah tells us exactly why this child is the hope of the world.

A. Wonderful Counselor

The word “wonderful” in Hebrew (peleʾ) is used in Scripture for things only God can do. It refers to the miraculous, the supernatural, the beyond-human.

“Counselor” refers to a king whose wisdom directs and governs His people.

So Isaiah is saying:

This King leads His people with divine wisdom that no human leader can offer.

His counsel is perfect, His guidance flawless, His strategies wise, His direction supernatural.

In context: Israel’s kings had failed. Their counsel led the nation into darkness. But the coming King will guide His people with God’s own wisdom.

Because Christ is our Wonderful Counselor…

We don’t have to navigate life by our own limited understanding.

We can bring Him our confusion, decisions, and fears.

His word and His Spirit guide us better than any earthly wisdom.

18. Jesus is the King whose divine, supernatural wisdom guides us perfectly when our own understanding fails.

B. Mighty God

The title literally means “God the Warrior,” “God the Hero,” the One who possesses all divine power and fights on behalf of His people. Isaiah is not describing a representative of God—he is calling the Child God Himself.

In context: Israel was facing empires far stronger than itself—Assyria, then Babylon. They had no military hope. And now Isaiah is announcing a King who does not merely advise—He acts with divine might. (Unlimited power)

He breaks yokes. He defeats oppressors. He rescues His people.

Because Christ is our Mighty God…

We are never fighting our battles alone.

Our hope does not rest on our strength but on His.

He has conquered sin, death, darkness, and the powers of hell.

19. Jesus is the Mighty God who fights for us and conquers every enemy we could never defeat on our own.

C. Everlasting Father

This is not about the Trinity (Isaiah is not saying the Son is the Father). Isaiah is describing the type of King He is: A fatherly ruler who protects, provides and cares for His people forever.

A better translation would be: “The Father of Eternity,” meaning the One who authors, governs, and holds eternity in His hands.

In context: Earthly kings come and go. Their reigns were short, inconsistent, and often corrupt. But this King’s character is fatherly—caring, protective, faithful—and His reign will never end.

Because Christ is our Everlasting Father…

We are never abandoned.

His care over us is permanent, not seasonal.

He provides, protects, disciplines, and loves without end.

20. Jesus is the eternally faithful King who cares for, protects, and provides for His people with father-like love that never ends.

D. Prince of Peace

He does not simply bring peace—He reigns with peace. His victory removes every cause of fear, conflict, and chaos. His rule brings peace, not fear. When human rulers gain more authority, people often fear. But when Jesus gains more authority, peace increases.

His government brings:

peace with God

peace in our hearts

peace among His people

peace that spreads through the world

peace that will one day fill the earth

Because the King who holds all authority is also the Prince of Peace. In this world for us as believers True peace is not the absence of trouble—it is the presence of Christ.

21. Jesus is the prince of peace whose reign brings lasting peace with God, peace within, and peace that will one day fill the world.

Isaiah ends by anchoring the Messiah in David’s line: “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness.” Isaiah wants Judah (the southern kingdom) to know: God’s promise to David will not fail.

This Child will sit on David’s throne:

forever increasing in peace and justice

establishing righteousness permanently

reigning without end

In other words: The kingdom Israel longed for—and the world longs for—is found only in Jesus.

To close Isaiah’s provides an exclamation point. “The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this” means His burning passion, unstoppable commitment, and sovereign power.

What will God accomplish?

The joy

The freedom

The deliverance

The victory

The peace

The everlasting kingdom

Through the coming of the Messiah Himself

Every promise in this chapter hangs on God’s zeal, not ours. God does not merely promise salvation—He guarantees it.

Closing Application:

This is why we have hope today. Not because life is easy, not because darkness disappears quickly, but because a Child has come, a King has been given, and the government rests on His shoulders. Our hope is as secure as the throne He sits on. And that throne will never fall.