Christmas Isn't Cancelled (part 2)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction. Tomorrow we will face the shortest day of the year. According to the weather channel sunrise will take place at 8:01 am and sunset will be at 4:42 pm.
If you think that’s bad… Barrow, AK is the northernmost city in the US. (320 miles north of the Arctic Circle). When the sun sets here on Nov. 18 or 19, the city sits in complete darkness for the next 65 days.
As I deliver this message to you, the people in Barrow, Alaska are still sitting in darkness and won’t see the sun for another full month (Jan 22/23). Scientists call it Polar Night. The locals call it Endless Night. It’s a long, cold, dark winter.
The effect of the Endless Night has been documented:
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) :Fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal as a result of light depravation.
Increase in suicides
Divorce
Substance abuse
Prolonged exposure to darkness is harmful. Our passage today found Isaiah 8-9 tells us about a group of people living in darkness. That is the people of Judah.
Read passage
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. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
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.
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.
Pray!
In my notes I wrote, “The recurring theme is people living in darkness.”
In v. 20 “they have no dawn.”
In v.21 they are greatly distressed and hungry.
In v. 22, “wherever they look, they will only see distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish.”
In v.22 things go from bad to worse. From being in darkness to being thrust into thick darkness.
Thick darkness = symbol of hopelessness
Have you ever been a in a place where life seemed hopeless? A place where darkness will not lift.
Sometimes these situations are brought by our own sinful choices. Other times we don’t have control. One thing is for sure, we are all affected by the effects of the fall.
Sickness
Job loss
Economic uncertainty
Anxiety and depression
Isolation & loneliness
Miscarriage
Injustice
Abuse
Betrayal
Wayward children
Corruption
Addictions
Uncontrolled anger
Strained relationships
Isaiah doesn’t deny the reality that the people of God are experiencing darkness but there is hope.
MAIN IDEA: Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
MAIN IDEA: Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
Isaiah 9:1 offers a contrast to the darkness, “But there will be no more gloom.”
That little word “But” or “Nevertheless” (NIV) describes divine intervention. God breaks through the darkness.
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. 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.
Last week pastor Marlin pointed out that Christmas Isn’t Cancelled because Christmas is about sin. What we see in Isaiah 9 is good news for hopeless sinners sitting in hopeless darkness.
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” (Isaiah 9:1, NIV84)
Tommy Clayton “Christmas is a powerful reminder that God is not afraid of entering our darkness. That’s where he does his best work.”
Look what God does here:
God turns gloom (v.1) into increased joy (v.3)
God turns anguish (v.1) into rejoicing (v.3)
God turns oppression (v.4) into a broken yoke (v.4)
God turns darkness (v.2) into light (v.2)
God transforms the land of deep darkness (v.2) into a land of endless peace, justice and righteousness (v.7).
These are God’s gifts to his people. Merry Xmas everyone!
All the verbs are in the perfect tense, affirming the prophet’s certainty that they would occur. - Danny Akin
These promises were given c.a. 700 bc. This sounds so good to be true.
How is God going to accomplish all this? How can God turn contempt into honor? (v.1) How can God replace darkness with light? (v.2) How can God bring such joy into earth like it has never seen before (v.3) How can we know that Christmas isn’t going to be cancelled?
Isaiah answers with a threefold “because” in vv. 4, 5 & 6. Conjunction “for” ESV
Three ways how God works even in the darkness.
1. He delivers his people from bondage.
1. He delivers his people from bondage.
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.
The day of Midian is a reference to the story of Gideon in Judges 6-7.
At this point in history, Israel is being oppressed by the Midianites. So God calls Gideon to be the one to deliver Israel from Midian.
“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
God instructs Gideon to cut back the numbers soldiers from 32,000 to 300, each soldier equipped with a clay jar, a torch and a ram’s horn (trumpet).
It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
The point of the Gideon’s story is that it was God who saved the day. The day of Midian reflects the heart of the xmas story. That is, we cannot ourselves.
We are under the yoke of slavery to sin
We under the heavy burden of sin
We are under sin’s oppressing rod.
We desperately need a savior!
The fulfillment: The incarnation (Jesus coming down in human likeness) is like the Day of Midian. Jesus comes to do for us what we cannot do ourselves.
He breaks the yoke of slavery
He lifts the heavy burden from our shoulders
He breaks the oppressor’s rod.
This is the good news of the gospel: God delights to save those who are weary, messed up, surrounded by darkness.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
A second way God works even in the darkness,
2. Evil will be destroyed
2. Evil will be destroyed
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
Verse 5 is an echo of a previous passage in Isaiah
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
The fulfilment: Already and not yet
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
A final way in which God works even in the darkness.
3. The source of our joy comes from a special gift.
3. The source of our joy comes from a special gift.
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.
The source of the salvation, the peace and the joy we need comes from a baby: “For to us a child is born.”
This baby is given to us . That means that this is a gracious gift that comes from God himself.
The titles given to this baby reveal that he has a divine identity. This baby is no other than Emmanuel: God with us. God gives himself to us.
Fulfillment
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel directly alludes to this famous prophecy when he tells Mary about Jesus:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
This child given to us by God would one day grow up and trade places with guilty sinners by going to the cross where he would experience deep darkness and judgment so that we can experience and enjoy the light God’s salvation.
Yes, the darkness would swallow him. Jesus walked through deep darkness, but on the third day he rose again in victory.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
Darkness cannot cancel Christmas because God works even in the darkness.
Conclusion. There is hope for those who are in a place where life seems hopeless. Jesus wants to meet you in your darkness. He is not afraid of your darkness.
Invite worship band to come up.
I don’t know your situation, but imagine what would happen in your life if you let Jesus come and shine his light in your darkness. He is here today
To offer forgiveness
to offer hope
to offer encouragement
to offer love
to offer joy
to offer peace