Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I love surprises.

I love watching Youtube videos of people getting surprised with important announcements or gifts, or visits from a family member who serves in the military

However, one of my favorite surprise videos are Birth Announcement videos.

Maybe you’ve seen videos of people either revealing they are pregnant or revealing the gender of the baby to family and friends.

I enjoy seeing the excitement and joy on people’s faces when they receive the news that their loved one is with child.

There are even funny videos of birth announcements that have gone wrong.

You can type in “Funny Birth Announcements” online and view some pretty hilarious ways people have revealed they are pregnant.

You will find video after video of people announcing either they are pregnant or the gender of the coming child in unique ways.

There are videos where the wife will toss a ball that is filled with powder to the husband to hit with a baseball bat and when he hits it the ball explodes with the color of the gender.

The only bad thing is, there is a video where the husband hits the ball and it hits the wife and it doesn’t burst.

Or sometimes the wife will throw the ball for the husband to hit and he wiffs at it and the ball shatters on the ground and everyone finds out the gender that way.

As we begin our Christmas series, we are going to specifically look at the greatest Birth announcement of all time, in fact it’s not just the greatest Birth announcement, it’s the birth announcement of a coming King.

Turn to

9  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.

Isaiah is such a wonderful book of the OT to read and study.

The genre of Isaiah is prophecy and the prophet Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of who God is and his plan of grace and glory for the world.

Taking a look at Scripture, God had promised Abraham that through his decedents the world would be blessed, and he promised David that his throne would lead the world into salvation, but during Isaiah’s time, the decedents of Abraham and the Dynasty of David no long trusted in those promises.

In fact, the people during this time were trusting in the promises of a pagan world.

This led the people to experience fear and instability.

So we read throughout the book of Isaiah God’s plan to redeem sinners through grace and providing a coming King that would fulfill God’s plan of salvation.

The name Isaiah means “Salvation of the Lord”

I find it amazing that we can open up to Isaiah and see the prophet giving this prophecy of the coming King Jesus.

What’s interesting is the fact that this birth announcement came pretty early.

Normally when people make a birth announcement they are already pregnant and they are revealing that to family and friends.

However, this birth announcement happened 700 years before Jesus was even born.

It’s important that we pay close attention to the details we read in this morning, because Isaiah gives us several important truths about the coming of a King.

My prayer this morning is that we will see how the prophecy that Isaiah gives not only offered hope and joy for the people he was prophesying to, but it will give us hope and joy knowing that Jesus was the plan all along to redeem and save sinners.

I want us to look at three important truths of the Royal Birth Announcement this morning.

These three truths will give us a better understanding of what Isaiah is saying about the coming of a Royal King and the importance of Jesus being the one God would send to accomplish the mission of salvation.

Take notes, they will be on the screen this morning, so it will make it a little easier.

1.

The Birth Announcement Promised Hope .

1.

The Birth Announcement Promised Hope .

One of the first things we must understand about the announcement of a Savior is the fact that Isaiah’s prophecy offered hope in a powerful way.

To really appreciate the hope that Isaiah is writing about, we must understand a little background on what is going on.

To really appreciate the hope that Isaiah is writing about, we must understand a little background on what is going on.

To really appreciate the birth announcement that Isaiah is writing about, we must understand a little background on what is going on.

Look at

21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry.

And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.

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.

Isaiah is making a prophecy that Israel will experience major suffering due to rejecting God and living in sin.

Isaiah writes that those that will end up trusting in things other than God will be greatly distressed and hungry.

We see this clear picture of people living in utter darkness because of their sin against God.

If you came to me and told me that you had good news and bad news, I would always ask you to tell me the bad news first.

Personally, I would want to hear the good news last because the good news would help make the bad news a little less bad.

That’s what Isaiah is doing in this passage, he is highlighting the bad news of the people and their condition but then turns it to describing the glorious hope and joy found in the coming of a

I think it’s always important to understand the bad news before we can understand the good news.

offers the good news that there is hope in a Savior and that the coming of the Lord would bring people from darkness to light.

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21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry.

And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.

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.

2  The people who walked in darkness

2  The people who walked in darkness

2  The people who walked in darkness

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

have seen a great light;

those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shone.

Notice in V. 2 the word “Light” is repeated.

What do we know about light?

It is the opposite of darkness.

So iIsaiah is describing this depressing time where people will be walking in darkness, but he also prophesies that they will see a great light and be exposed to the light which is translated hope.

Listen to what says’

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.