Carols 2025 - shorter

I’d like us to spend a little time now thinking about

“The Light We Can’t Live Without”

And while we can’t live without it - some of here are doing just that.

Why?

Becasue we’re in the dark.

One of the things people love about a carol service is the light. Candles. Twinkling bulbs. Warmth. Atmosphere.

And sadly we cna’t have candles in our modern health and asftey age,

But we can show you the light we can’t live without.

After all. if we’re honest, the world outside this room doesn’t feel very bright. The headlines. The wars. The anxiety.

Polotics, The fears we carry quietly inside.

And the Bible never asks us to pretend otherwise. Isaiah 9 which we had read,

begins, not with warm twinkly sentiment about life,

but with an honest description of the human condition:

Isaiah 9:2 NIVUK

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

I want us to see three things in this passage tonight:

The darkness we cannot escape

The joy we cannot manufacture

The King we cannot replace

And then one question: What will you do with the Light?

1. The Darkness We Cannot Escape (vv1–2)

To understand Isaiah’s picture, we need the context.

Isaiah is preaching in the 700s BC. God’s people have rejected His word, chased other gods, and trusted their own strength instead of the Lord.

The Assyrian Empire is rising.

The northern region—“Galilee of the nations”

—will soon be invaded, humiliated, and carried into exile.

Chapter 8 ends like this:

Isaiah 8:22 NIVUK

Then they will look towards the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

The “darkness” in 9:2 isn’t a bad week or a low mood. It is the darkness of sin, judgement, and life turned away from the one true creator God.

A people who have shut out the God of light now walk in the shadows.

But Isaiah doesn’t just describe ancient Israel. He describes us.

“The people walking in darkness…”

Some of us hear that and think, “Yes—that’s how life feels.” But others might think, “That’s not me. I’m doing fine.”

And I want to acknowledge that. Many feel they can see well enough without God.

But here’s the crucial thing: In the Bible, darkness is not how you feel. It is where you stand.

You can be in darkness without realising it.

A room can feel safe in the dark—until you try to walk. A road can feel like it can be dirven on in darkness with no headlight —until the bend arrives.

The Bible says that without God:

we cannot see ourselves clearly,

we cannot see Him clearly,

and we cannot see where the road of life truly leads.

We might feel perfectly content. Successful. Moral. Secure.

But if we are living life on our own terms,

ignoring the God who made us,

assuming we do not need forgiveness,

then Isaiah’s verdict stands:

We are walking in darkness—even if our lives look bright on the outside.

Darkness isn’t just the pain we feel. It is the separation from God we don’t feel.

And that is why the end of that first sentance ine is so astonishing. It doesn’t say, “The people who rescued themselves have found a great light…”

or “The people discovered light through mystic meditation, or well being, ot spiritualaity.

No.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

Not reaching for the light. Not deserving the light. Not even asking for the light.

The light shines on people who cannot save themselves, who are in darkness — which means there is hope for people like us.

There is a light being offered to those in darkness.

2. The Joy We Cannot Manufacture (vv3–5)

Isaiah says God is about to bring a joy so deep that it’s like the joy of harvest and the joy of victory.

Isaiah 9:3 NIVUK

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.

Harvest joy is relief and security - we’re wuite removed from it living in food secure days, and in a city.

But for much of the world, and most of all history - harvest has been the climax of a year of stress and toil - will we have enough food for nect year - will we literlaly survicve!

You don’t quite get the same kick as you self-check-out at Aldi!

But we can imagine - the joy of relief, seciurity,

and the joy of a battle vixcotry - freedom, and rest and peace.

This is the kind of joy that goes all the way down.

But how does this joy come?

Not from positive thinking. Not from improved circumstances. Not from human progress.

Listen to verse 4:

Isaiah 9:4 NIVUK

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.

“For you have shattered the yoke that burdens them.”

God breaks what weighs His people down. He shatters the yoke they cannot lift. He ends the battle they cannot win.

And this is true for us as well. We can brighten life around the edges—experiences, achievements, comfort—but none of these can silence guilt, heal shame, remove fear, or give us peace with God.

We;re in the dark - but he gives us a light we cannot live without.

We cannot generate a joy that lasts, because the problem goes deeper than our circumstances. The darkness inside us is something we cannot fix.

So if the darkness is too deep for us, and the joy too great for us to manufacture, then we need someone beyond us.

Someone who can do what we cannot.

We already know it’s GO d who will bring light and give joy,

But how does it actually work?

Which takes us to the heart of the passage.

3. The King We Cannot Replace (v6)

Isaiah says the answer is not a new philosophy or technique, but a Person.

A King.

Isaiah 9:6 NIVUK

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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This child promised 700 years before he was born at the fist Christmas is givne 4 names.

W eknow him as JEsus - but here are his 4 titles—four names that unveil the identity of this King. that find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

These names show us not just who He is, but why you and I needs Him.

a) Wonderful Counsellor — Wisdom we cannot find elsewhere

“Wonderful” means miraculous, supernatural. A counsellor whose wisdom changes reality.

We live in the age of information: podcasts, blogs, advice, even counsoling everywhere. Yet people feel more confused than ever.

Jesus, the Wonderful Counsellor, sees you completely. He knows the truth about your heart, your past, your fears. He understands you better than you understand yourself. And He speaks with compassion.

Some of us tonight feel lost. Jesus is the wisdom you have been searching for.

b) Mighty God — Strength we cannot supply

This child is “Mighty God.” Fully divine. God Himself come to rescue.

We cannot fix the darkness. We cannot free ourselves from guilt. We cannot defeat death - however hard science tries We cannot escape God’s right judgement.

Jesus came, not simply to teach, but to save. He lived the life we failed to live. He died the death our sin deserves. He rose to give forgiveness and new life.

He is the only King strong enough to save us.

BEcasue he was not only fully human - like us - born of a woman - so that he can be our subsitiute befpore God.

But he is also Fully God - conceived by the Holy Spirt.

So that he could be perfect unlike us - so he could live in perfect light with God when we cannot.

So that our darkenss could be paid for by him in his death.

Jesus died and was judged by his own heavenly father so that we might be given the light!

c) Everlasting Father — Love we cannot lose

This doesn’t confuse Jesus with God the Father. It means He rules with father-like care:

protective,

tender,

faithful,

constant.

Some carry wounds that run deep. Some fear rejection or failure or abandonment.

But this King never leaves His people. He binds up the brokenhearted. He welcomes the weary and ashamed. He is committed, constant—everlasting.

He is the only King gentle enough to heal us.

d) Prince of Peace — Peace we cannot achieve

This peace is not just inner calm - that we often think is what we truely need.

It is peace the peace we actually need - peace with God.

By nature, we are separated from Him. darkness Jesus ends that separation through His cross.

Forgiveness for the past. Strength for the present. Hope for the future.

Peace that begins now and stretches into eternity.

He is the wisdom we lack, the strength we need, the love we long for, the peace we were made for.

Jesus is the only King strong enough to save you and gentle enough to heal you.

The only question is: What will you do with Him?

4. What Will You Do with the Light? (v7)

Isaiah finishes with this promise:

Isaiah 9:7 NIVUK

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 for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Every human kingdom rises and falls. Every leader disappoints. Every good thing fades.

But not this King. Not this kingdom.

And at the end of the verse, Isaiah tells us why all this will happen:

“The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”

God Himself brings this salvation. God Himself raises this King. God Himself shines this Light into our darkness—for His glory.

And here is the wonder: When God is glorified in Christ, that is where we finally find the joy, peace, and hope our hearts were made for.

So the question becomes personal:

Will you stay in the darkness, or will you come into the joyful Light?

Jesus said:

“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.”

here

To follow Him is to trust Him, receive Him, bow to Him, come to Him.

It doesn’t mean you have everything sorted. It means you come as you are to the One who knows you, loves you, died for you, and rose to bring you home.

Tonight, the Light has shone. Not because we deserved it, but because the zeal of the LORD Almighty accomplished it.

So let me ask you gently:

If Jesus truly is the King strong enough to save you and gentle enough to heal you— why stay in the dark any longer?

He offers Himself to you tonight. Will you come to Him?