The Waiting Game

Well, it’s Christmas time!

Intro

· Well, it’s Christmas time!

What was one of the worst things about Christmas growing up? For me, it was the WAITING. It felt like the weeks after Thanksgiving were the most painful, slowest weeks in the history of the world.

You’ve probably been busy shopping, decorating, maybe even beginning to bake.

· Anyone done shopping?

Anyone done shopping?

· What was one of the worst things about Christmas growing up? For me, it was the WAITING. It felt like the weeks after Thanksgiving were the most painful, slowest weeks in the history of the world.

It doesn’t get easier, does it? We will be out of town for Christmas, so we celebrated Christmas with my family last night. Our kids knew we were going out there, so all day yesterday, they were wound tight, waiting for Christmas.

CUE VIDEO

This is what we want to do this year—regain our focus on what really matters.

· Linus got it right, didn’t he?

· Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at different aspects of the Christmas story, examining exactly what makes it so special.

· What was one of the worst things about Christmas growing up? For me, it was the WAITING. It felt like the weeks after Thanksgiving were the most painful, slowest weeks in the history of the world.

There are much harder forms of waiting, though. Waiting for God to allow you to become parents, waiting for your grown child to come back to Christ, waiting for that job to open up, waiting for an answer on what is wrong with your health.

Waiting

Waiting on your dream to be fulfilled can be extremely hard. It’s draining, difficult, and disappointing.

Perhaps some of the most difficult waiting in history was the period of time where the people of Israel waited for God to keep his promises.

You know that the scenes in Bethlehem and even in Nazareth before the birth of Christ aren’t the beginning of the story; they are the culmination of the promise made thousands of years before.

It started all the way in the beginning, in – This is the first mention we have that there would be someone to come and make right what Adam and Eve made wrong. It doesn’t give us much detail, but it tells us that Someone would come.

We see this throughout other places in the Old Testament, but I want us to look this morning at one in particular.

Perhaps one of the greatest places we find this promise of God is in .

It’s here, some 700 years before the fulfillment of the promise that God through Isaiah fills in beautifully some of the picture of who this Messiah would be.

As we think through this passage this morning, I want you to see a few different truths.

You should see through this, first of all, that God keeps His promises.

Secondly, you should see who this Child was, is, and will be in the future.

Hopefully, God will use these major themes to help you do what I need to do: focus on the beautiful promise of Christmas.

What does Isaiah tell us here about the Messiah who is to come? We’ll see three major facets of this individual in this passage.

The first we’ll see is that..

1) The Messiah will be a person.

It seems to go without saying, but this is one of the most crucial truths of Christmas.

Isaiah tells us that there will be a child born, a son.

Why does this matter? Because it tells us that God isn’t a far-away, theoretical God.

There was a problem created by sin, and He was the only one who could truly do something about it.

Instead of leaving us all to wallow in our own filth, He came as a person to wallow in it with us!

Philippians 2:6–7 CSB

who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,

who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (, NASB95)

- He Himself came, born as a child, to help us, even though it was our fault!

He Himself came, born as a child, to help us, even though it was our fault!

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (, NASB95)

John 1:14 CSB

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

- It is incredibly important that the Messiah be a person.

It is incredibly important that the Messiah be a person.

God wasn’t sending us a standard we couldn’t uphold; we failed that test under the Law.

He wasn’t calling us to a better life; He was coming to give Himself on our behalf.

What an incredible truth! This is what makes Christmas worth celebrating—that the just, holy, righteous God of the universe would come as an actual human being to live among us.

By the way, I don’t understand how it worked, but I know what God’s Word says. He did come, and when He did, He was fully God and fully man.

God kept His promise, and that promise was that He would send a person to us.

That person was more than just a normal person, though. The next thing we see is that…

2) He Will Be Powerful.

“and the government will be on his shoulders”

Anybody else having a hard time not reading this with the meter of Handel’s Messiah?

What does this mean?

One commentator notes that this phrase paints a beautiful picture, that it, “...figuratively refers to the kingly robe to be worn by the Messiah.” (John A. Martin, “Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1053.

John A. Martin, “Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1053.

Although we see that He was born, and He lived and died, we don’t actually see Him as king!

This is what confused the Jews so much about the first coming of Christ. They anticipated that He would come in power and majesty and establish His, and instead, He came and died.

Remember, thought, that we have hints to His coming kingdom throughout the New Testament.

For example: , the Sermon on the Mount, details the rules of His Kingdom.

o For example: , the Sermon on the Mount, details the rules of His Kingdom.

When the mob comes arrest Jesus, He speaks and they all fall.

o When the mob comes arrest Jesus, He speaks and they all fall.

Yet He still died!

What is this talking about, then? When will He come in power and majesty? When does He take the rule and reign over the governments of the earth?

Revelation 19:11–16 CSB

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war with justice. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”” (, NASB95)

This part of Isaiah’s prophecy was only hinted at the first time around, and when Christ comes again, all the nations will bow before Him and the authority to reign over them will be draped over Him like a robe on His shoulders.

- This part of Isaiah’s prophecy was only hinted at the first time around, and when Christ comes again, all the nations will bow before Him and the authority to reign over them will be draped over Him like a robe on His shoulders.

- This part of Isaiah’s prophecy was only hinted at the first time around, and when Christ comes again, all the nations will bow before Him and the authority to reign over them will be draped over Him like a robe on His shoulders.

This should excite you! As long as the people of God waited for the first coming, we too wait for the second coming of Christ, when He will come and take all the earthly government upon Himself.

Although this aspect is still future, we celebrate it at Christmas, because His rule and reign would not come until He had reconciled the world to Himself through His own death.

Are you starting to get your focus back? He came as a child, and He will come again as a king.

What about His Character? The third aspect of the one who was to come presented here by Isaiah is…

3) He will be perfect.

In case you are concerned about the one who is to come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, remember here what Isaiah says about Him.

You saw that He will not be like any earthly king and dictator, but will be an incredible ruler unlike the world as ever seen.

As we look over the next several weeks, we’ll see these attributes reflected in His coming.

This morning, we will look at them as Isaiah describes here. First we see that He is:

A) Perfectly wise

Isaiah describes the Messiah here as “Wonderful Counselor”

Have you ever read through the Gospels and just listened to the wisdom that exudes from what Jesus says?

That’s what leads so many to look on Jesus as a great teacher and leader. As you look through passages such as the Sermon on the Mount, what He said just made sense.

In the context of Isaiah’s prophecy, this would have been a breath of fresh air. The Jews in Judah were living under the rule of King Ahaz, who was a fool, seeking help from nations that couldn’t provide the help God could have and humiliating his people. Not only that, he brought in wicked customs from the idolatrous nations around Him. Ahaz was so wicked that the Bible tells us he was not even buried with the rest of the kings of Judah. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Ahaz)

In contrast, the Messiah would be and is an incredible counselor, full of wisdom and understanding.

That makes sense, though, since He is God in the flesh! We would expect nothing less!

Yet this should be comforting to you today. The promise God made is that the one He would send would be an incredible counselor—one who rules with great wisdom.

That means that the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus—whom you have believed in—is a wise counselor for your life. You can trust what He is doing because He is wise.

B) Perfectly Powerful

The next attribute covered is that He will be the mighty God.

Like we talked about earlier, He didn’t come this way before—He came in meekness and humility.

Remember, though, that He never lost that.

Fast forward to the end of Jesus’ ministry, on the night before he was betrayed. Do you remember what John said of Him before He washed the disciples feet?

John 13:3 CSB

Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.

o He was fully aware of the power He had, yet He controlled it to allow the purpose of the Father to stand.

o He was fully aware of the power He had, yet He controlled it to allow the purpose of the Father to stand.

He was fully aware of the power He had, yet He controlled it to allow the purpose of the Father to stand.

For you this morning, though, that means that the baby you focus on at Christmas is actually the majestic and powerful God of the universe!

Whatever your struggle, focus on the Mighty God who is able to deliver you!

Not only is He wise and powerful, He is also…

C) Perfectly Eternal

Here, Isaiah points to the eternality of the Messiah.

This is a crucial point for us to look at, because it deals directly with the error in some of the major cults of Christianity.

Many teach that Jesus is a created being, yet He cannot be!

He is referred to here as the Eternal Father, which points to the fact that He has existed forever.

As an aside, “Father” here does not refer to His relationship to the Trinity. It rather deals with His relationship to creation, as pointed out – that He was the creator of all things.

Not only that, but His rule will never end. This is shown in verse 7…

Where is the comfort in this?

No matter your situation, He existed before it and will continue to rule and reign after it. It has not caught God off guard, and He knows exactly what His plan is for getting you through it.

Isn’t that great as you look at the insanity that is our Christmas celebrations? There is a consistent, constant plan being woven by the Eternal Father of us all.

That should lead you to the final aspect of His character that we see in this passage:

D) Perfectly Peaceful

In a comforting title, He is now revealed as the “Prince of Peace”.

For the Jews to whom Isaiah spoke, this would point to the peace they would one day experience through His earthly reign.

Although the sin in our own hearts and the difficulties of life keep us from realizing this fully, we as believers experience this aspect of His nature now:

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (, NASB95)

Matthew 11:28–30 CSB

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (, NASB95)

o “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (, NASB95)

Philippians 4:6–7 CSB

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Have you experienced that peace?

o Have you experienced that peace?

In the midst of the stress of the baking, the shopping, for some the loneliness and heartache, will you take time to focus on the one who is the Prince of Peace?

Jesus will one day rule and reign and bring perfect peace, but you don’t have to wait until he comes back to enjoy peace!

You see, what started in the manger ended in an empty tomb!

The baby who came and was placed in a feeding trough would grow, live, and be put to death for your sins and mine so we could have peace with God now!

He was raised from the dead to give us life, hope, and peace with God, and we can enjoy that right now.

Conclusion

Conclusion

Those who heard Isaiah’s words had to wait on this promise to be fulfilled. Generations came and went, yet God seemed to forget the promise He made.

Yet, on that day we celebrate at Christmas, He fulfilled the first portion this promise.

Although some of this promise is still yet to come to pass, there is enough here to help us focus and celebrate this morning.

[1] John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-), .

[2] Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Ahaz.