A Savior is Proclaimed

This morning, as Dennis mentioned earlier we are going to be entering into the Advent season, or the season was celebrate the anticipation of the arrival of Jesus on what we celebrate as Christmas morning.

And for the next few weeks at the beginning of each service we will be spending just a few minutes looking at and remembering all of the things that transpired and led up to the coming of Jesus.

And as we move through that process there will be some Scriptural references that are meant to help us to reflect on this time .

And what we will be doing, unless the Lord tells me differently, is during our sermon time we are going to take those passages and break them down a bit more.

And what my hope is-is that we will really reflect on the meaning behind them and the extraordinary message that they proclaim to us.

And this morning’s passages will come from and , which are tied to the message that was delivered to the Prophets and the message that brought about this hope of eternal deliverance that was only realized when jesus actually came.

Until the prophets first received the message of the coming Messiah, the people really did not have a true and lasting direction in their lives and existence.

They sort of lived this life tossed back and forth between freedom and bondage, bound by their own sin and consigned to a life of sacrificing animals through priests in an attempt to mitigate the damage their sin has done.

However, with the prophets and the message of the coming Messiah, they had their first glimpse of real hope.

Hope that one day they would be eternally delivered.

Hope that one day all of this would end and all of their toiling and suffering would be over.

Hope that one day they would have no more enemies and there would be no more need to sacrifice anything.

And that hope is born in the words of the prophets.

So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me as I read the words of the Prophet.

Scripture Focus

Isaiah 9:2–7 NIV - Anglicised

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 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. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 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. 7 Of the increase 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.

Now, skip over the . . .

Galatians

Galatians 4:4–7 NIV - Anglicised

4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Hope in the Face of Despair (Isaiah 9:2-5)

So, as I have mentioned, the prophets played a very important role in the proclamation of the hope that is to come when Jesus Christ is born.

And I know that the end of this passage is very familiar to us as we point to it often when discussing the proclamations made about the coming of Jesus.

In fact, this is one of the earlier proclamations made.

It is estimated that this was written in 733 BC, and BC means “Before Christ.”

So roughly 733 years before Jesus was ever born, Isaiah is telling the people to hold on that Jesus is coming.

To hold on that their ultimate deliverance is coming.

To hold on that the suffering would be over.

And of course, the people then wanted an instant deliverance.

They wanted relief right then and there for their present suffering.

And they were not looking toward the eternal and “forever” solution.

They just wanted relief in their immediate need.

Which is exactly what we are after many times as well.

In fact, that is usually one of the top reasons why people give up and fall away from God.

They are suffering in the here and now and want immediate relief.

And when that immediate relief does not come they become discouraged and disheartened and give up on God.

The devil will wedge his way in and start to speak lies into their soul and they wind up on the brink of destruction.

And the thing about it is, that we as Christians and as the church many times do not respond the way we should.

And what I mean by that is that when someone is suffering, lots of times we don’t know what to do or what to say so we avoid them.

We keep our distance because we are uncomfortable in the situation.

However, that is not the right thing to do.

Listen, people who are suffering not looking for us to give them all the answers.

All they need is for someone to be there and let them know that they are not alone.

That they will not have to suffer alone.

That there are others around them who will stand with them and just be there and support them.

That is all that is necessary because the only one what actually has the answers is God.

We don’t have the answers and there is no sense in trying to act like we do.

We just need to be there.

Look again at how the passage in Isaiah starts out . . .

Isaiah 9:2–5 NIV - Anglicised

And now, keeping it in context here, what Isaiah is referring to is part of a much bigger picture here.

Isaiah had been telling them about the coming judgement of Judah and their eventually being carried off into captivity.

Isaiah

He had also been telling them about how, if they continue to reject and turn away from God, their suffering alone and distress would continue.

However, he is also telling them that in the midst of all of this there is a glimmer of hope.

There is something to hold on to.

Because even in their darkest hour, if they will stay true to God . . .

Isaiah 9:2 NIV - Anglicised

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

Isaiah 9:2-

He is saying hope is right there.

God has not forgotten them.

God has not abandoned them.

God is walking with them, right beside them.

And God will deliver them.

And he goes on to talk about this oppressor . . .

Isaiah 9:3–5 NIV - Anglicised

3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 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. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

And if we are not careful we will miss who he is actually talking about.

Isaiah 9:

The oppressor, the enemy he is talking about is satan.

And the one who is crushing this enemy is Jesus Christ.

And he is saying that we endure suffering now but God’s deliverance is a complete deliverance, an eternal deliverance, a deliverance that cannot be undone or overridden.

Jesus said “it is finished” and that is exactly what he did.

He finished it once and for all, and there is no taking it back by the devil anymore.

It is finished once and for all.

And where we can find comfort in that is trying to work through and understand our own suffering.

We suffer but sometimes our suffering is necessary for the deliverance of another.

And I know that I am not doing the best job of explaining it because it is hard to explain.

But for instance, when someone we love dies.

We suffer and we hurt.

Because we loved them.

And we don’t understand many times why.

However, from their perspective, and we may never know why, God is delivering them from their suffering.

Maybe they were sick and knew or didn’t know and God is delivering them.

Maybe they had a rocky relationship with God—sometimes it was good—sometimes it was not and there was a window that God knew that if he didn’t take them home right then, they would never make it home.

And to us we don’t really know, but God does and I always think about Peter when he said . ..

2 Peter 3:9 NIV - Anglicised

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

And what this means is that God is willing to do whatever it takes to save us, even if it means bringing us home before what we,who are left here, think they are ready.

But again, God sees it all and thinks in eternal terms and not in this time constricted temporal perspective that we have.

But it is up to us, in the role of prophet to proclaim this hope that is found in Jesus and only in Jesus.

And that hope is . . .

Isaiah 9:6–7 NIV - Anglicised

6 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. 7 Of the increase 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.

Eternal Hope is Proclaimed (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Eternal Hope Frees Us From Bondage (Galatians 4:4-7)

But what about the second part of this over in Galatians?

Remember that there is the proclamation of hope of deliverance through Jesus.

Paul has this to say about this proclamation . . .

Galatians 4:4–7 NIV - Anglicised

And this goes right along with what we have already been talking about.

Paul understands that Jesus Christ and freed us from the bondage of sin and death.

And also when we accept Jesus Christ, something else happens as well.

We actually become children of God, which is much more than God’s creation.

In our world today, we have a mixed up understanding of what it means to be a child of God.

People often say that “we are all God’s children.”

Well, that’s not true.

We are not all God’s children.

We are all God’s creation and God loves us all, but we do not become God’s child until we accept Jesus Christ.

And until we actually become God’s child, we are not entitled to the inheritance of the Father (heaven and eternal life).

Those things are only for God’s children.

Everyone else is separated from God by their sin and until that sin is dealt with, we have no access to God or any of the things of heaven.

It is only through Jesus Christ, the same Jesus that Isaiah told us about 733 years earlier that we have access to the Father and to the rights of children.

It is only through Jesus that we are free.

Altar Call

And the thing is, this message has been proclaimed for centuries, but we have not been very good at hearing it.

And some this morning are hearing it but will refuse to heed it.

The question is, will we be that person or will we heed the call of God?

Will we allow God to free us, to adopt us, to bring us into His family?

Maybe you have done that but you are here and you are suffering.

You are suffering and you really don’t know why, don’t understand why.

Can you come this morning and lay that burden on the altar?

That doesn’t mean the suffering will end, but you can let God in and let God help you, let the church who loves and cares for you stand with you and walk with you.

Can you do that this morning?

Whatever need we have, can be addressed this morning. God is ready if we are willing.