Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
There is something inherent within us all that naturally looks for leadership.
We desire someone to come into our scenarios and tell us what to do, where to go.
--One key example is what happened on 9/11.
In Rudy Giuliani's book called Leadership, the first chapter chronicles his entire day on 9/11.
Whether you agree or not with his political stance or his personal choices, the only logical conclusion to come to is that, as a leader, he saved NYC that day.
The key decisions he made on short notice, with limited information, made all the difference.
Countless lives were saved, and untold destruction was limited, because of him.
In fact, leadership is often defined, not in good times, but in bad times.
As someone steps into a mess and shows the way forward.
This is why Max DePree said “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.”
A leader steps into the chaos, helps people understand what is really happening, and then charts a path out of the chaos and into a better place.
TS - is one of those times of chaos and despair.
During a time of national unfaithfulness to God, Israel is experiencing turmoil...because unfaithfulness to God always leads to turmoil.
And on top of that, in , God condemns the Israelites and announced that he is sending the Assyrian armies to conquer them.
Yet in the midst of all that turmoil we find this breath of fresh air as God declares relief.
Someone is going to step in a provide direction.
But they are not looking for a King, a President, or a Pope.
They are looking for a...baby.
- Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.
The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.
2 The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest
and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make this happen!
TS - We are spending a few weeks leading up to Christmas looking at these titles given to Jesus, this promised baby to be born.
Last week we saw that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor.
Today we see that this baby to be born will be Mighty God.
He is not just someone who will point the way.
He is not a military ruler.
He is not a King in any earthly sense.
No, this baby to be born will be God himself.
Earlier this year the results of the bi-annual research survey called The State of Theology were released.
Ligonier Ministry, founded by theologian R.C. Sproul does this research to show trends in theological views and provide an accurate snapshot of what people believe.
Based on the results, Americans are in a sad State of Theology.
For example (at least for our purposes today), Statement 6: “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” 78% of Evangelical Christians (that’s us!) agree.
On the surface, it sounds right to agree...Jesus is first, he is greatest.
The problem comes in the back half of the statement…”created by God.”
In the early centuries of Christianity, the primary theological issue that needed to get settled was the full identity of Jesus.
His earliest followers clearly believed Jesus to be divine.
But what did that mean about God the Father?
How are they related?
As they began hammering out the details of this doctrine, it led to multiple disputes and subsequent gatherings of the world’s theologians.
One of them has come to be known as the Arian Controversy.
This gets its name from Arius, an early Christian theologian from Alexandria, Egypt.
Arianism, as the view came to be known, is that Jesus is not divine, but is an exceptional being created by God (kind of like angels, but better).
Essentially teaching that Jesus is “like” God, but not God in the sense that God the Father is God.
This led another theologian from Alexandria, Athanasius, to respond with disagreement.
If Jesus is created by God, then to worship him is idolatry.
To pray to him, or in his name, is blasphemy.
And the cross is nothing more than divine child abuse.
This controversy led to the convening of the first church council, the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.
Its sole purpose was to debate and correct this controversy.
That Council produced the Nicene Creed, which may be familiar to some of you.
Notice the emphasis:
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,
begotten from the Father, only-begotten,
that is, from the substance of the Father,
God from God,
light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten not made,
of one substance with the Father,
through Whom all things came into being,
things in heaven and things on earth,
Who because of us men and because of our salvation came down,
and became incarnate
and became man,
and suffered,
and rose again on the third day,
and ascended to the heavens,
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