A Great Light 1

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Isaiah or some of my friends across a certain pond says Isaiah. You can open your Bible to the major prophet. We're going to look at Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 through 7. I'll be reading from the English Standard Version. And if you would either in your own text or on the screen, I stand 91. But there will be, no Gloom for her who was in anguish, in the former time. He brought into contempt, the land of zebulun in the, in the later time. He is the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, the nation. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. You have multiplied. They Rejoice before you as, with joy at the market. Are there glad when they divide the spoil for the Yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor you have broken as on the day of Midian for every boot to the tramping warrior in battle to Malt. And every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name Shall be Called wonderful, counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting father Prince.

Of the increase of his government and peace. There will be no and on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish and to update with Justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the Zeal of the Lord of hosts. This is God's word. I invite you to take your seat.

As a family, this last stuff this last number of weeks on Friday or Saturday. We have been turning to our team that has virtual forced and we have watched with a with quite a bit of anticipation. If I'm honest, the latest episode of the Star Wars TV show known as the Mandalorian. Any any the Mandalorian centers around of the fictional Star Wars Universe? Well, those characters are nowhere to be seen. And in fact, the only recognized was someone that only those, which were interested referred to as Yoda has no relation to your character in the original Star Wars Trilogy book just like Yoda in a smaller version of him and it was until the later part of the first in the second season that he was simply referred to as the child. Tell me something interesting about the child, a warrior known as the Mandalorian or Mando goes across the Galaxy, with this child.

A couple of times, a child does something magnificent in spectacular, but for the most part, she is just along for the ride. Tommy hero of the series do farm. It's either something about child. There is something about the that comes with new birth and the promise of a light ahead of you. Magnify this b**** child, who appears to be a baby is 15 years old. And so the promise that he might live to be very much in maybe nine hundred years or so like the older Yoda, in the anticipation of who and what's a child might become in this made-up universe. In addition to the patient that many of us tune in each week, online to watch the new episode and see what might unfold for this child. It was just last Friday, the week, watchers into the patient's, we heard that the child has a name.

Someone that is identifiable, someone that is memorable and someone that has a history that we can identify.

The nation of Israel had a history, but their future. Looks bleak. If you remember, if you'll turn back in your mind with me, the book of Deuteronomy, and then Joshua Judges, and then 1st and 2nd Kings. You remember that. This is the history of Israel unfold, and we come to a King. Who was not, let's just say in the list of the Good King. We come to the king of Judah, the southern Kingdom. That is the better Kingdom. And we have a king whose name was Amy had. In Asia. Well. He did the best he could like. But anyhow was worried about a power in the east, in fact still was Israel. His cousin King if you will and where the surrounding smaller Nations surrounding, the Mediterranean Sea, was the vast Empire of Assyria. In a stereo over a hundred years earlier had been defeated. They have been stopped by a coalition of Israel and Judah and the other neighbors. Including area. Israel. And they had stopped abuse. Empire at Damascus capital city of Syria.

I never stopped to do it again.

Party of two kingdoms. Plus another Israel and Syria decided that they would attack and they would attack the southern Kingdom. That is Judah. And they would then form a coalition because they would be over you. And they would dare Force Assyrian advanced in the prize of the Eastern Empires. The 8th century. Into it was it isn't this Invasion promise that the book of Isaiah. The first part of the book of Isaiah is written and it's written to the nation of Israel. It is in fact that the prophet Isaiah was given by God and then was later written down as the prophets word to the nation of Israel. We could study this book for years easily as a congregation. We won't yet. But today, we rest in Isaiah 9 and I can tell you this that. Is Nick buddy place to park by myself for a little while?

You'll notice that I have titled not just the sermon, but the entire series, "a great light." There is no great light in this photo single Christmas bulb like one from when I was a kid.

We celebrate a great light but we settle for a Christmas twinkle.

We say we will give gifts to all and instead of allowing the greatest gift of all Jesus Christ to be the focus of our celebration. Our family gets excited about a PlayStation 5 or 12 or whatever is out now.

That we will take a look. Here is the great light Jesus Christ! Crazy amount of luminance. He gives off in our life amount to that of a small incandescent bulb. Antique green. Blue red, baby, yellow. For my favorite, the classic white.

This passage is riddled with.

Any pregnant with maybe I could use that term anticipation in imagery and when you and I settled for a great light, it's a little bit and we settle for Christmas. 20 is a little bit like last week's tournament, which I'm sure everybody memorized by now. We'll just pretend that people are laughing online. And that is to say that we look for our God in Thanksgiving, which is what we celebrated, just a few days ago, right Thanksgiving. And we looked we take. Thank you so much, but then instead of thanking God for The Ultimate Gift, Jesus Christ in our life. We say God. Thank you for the turkey and thank you for thank you for the

But we neglected to thank God in spite of our circumstances, instead. We often thank God, because of our circumstances and it's also in this passage that we find out that motivation, should be to thank God because of who he is not because of what we have.

what's over here to 9 verse 10, who was in English, and he brought into the land of nebulon and the Land of Nod, and if we spent 45 minutes on the first couple of verses,

I'm looking at my music screen. This is a map of the nations of Israel when they settled so you can see the top of town and Debbie when we're going to zoom in on that just a little bit. Not Italian. Zebulon is here at the top, going to put that there for context of a reason. In the form of zebulun and the Land of Nod. Holly.

But in the later time, he has made glorious the way of the sea. You see the way of the sea. Is an ancient road that was the best way of getting from the Eastern Empires or potentially, even Asia up and turkey. Modern-day turkey down to Egypt. It was the primary way of transporting good or Army.

So then we had wings, we can see where Zebulon and that's how he is. And then we also see that the land beyond the Jordan, that would be nice to wear. This map shows right here. The land of the Jordan in here is the Galilee of the nation's right here. In Jordan River, Valley is where this main importance in this is.

now, to back up, but go to sleep, think about Isaiah, Isaiah commissioning is just a couple of chapters earlier, but it starts the book of Isaiah starts with The problem I need a story starts with a problem. The problem is that Israel is in spiritual and physical meet there. They're about to be decimated by a foreign power Israel. And Syria are the foreign powers that Kay has worried about. And so what does he do rather than trusting the promises of God laid out in the Bible. He trusts in Syria. He's defending against Syria Israel. The cousin neighbor.

The main most powerful Empire of that time. He gives money and pay tribute hoping that a Siri will come in and just Damascus. The capital of Syria as well as the northern kingdom. That's exactly what the king of Assyria wanted to do. Anyway into the king of Assyria uses potentially some of the money given to him.

The trajectory of his army as you might Imagine by now.

Is right there. The way of the sea. You can see it begins here at the top in the middle of the sea comes down and right there.

As one would expect by reading this cat. So this is, this is a historical map to. This is using the king of a serious own personal record, this description of how the king of Assyria conquered. And so he comes in and he has everyone through. Not Talley sign me in to Jordan and Galilee of the Nations and then it leaves us with a question. What about the future time? We can see that in the former time to still get in. This is prophecy. This is looking forward in the former time. You brought into contempt.

The one through five of of Isaiah is all about trusting in the Lord is our word of as of today, in the Lord's. When you hoping it will always lead to failure.

The area has had a son. Hezekiah.

I'm not just calling out my son. That was eight has a dog's name as well as the king is in Israel's history. And this done. The small kingdoms of Syria or Israel's enemies Invasion invasion of Syria fill in the Times Sake. And so basically we have to push the boundaries back out Hezekiah is now faced with the same decision that his father was Will you trust in the promises of God that say, this nation will not be destroyed by an Invader when it was invaded and conquered, and it was only a small couple of countries are banded together against him when he trusted in. God. I hope you know, the story, a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers marched from Assyria. What is the largest invading forces up in history at that point? I'm over towards you. What happened? Angel of the Lord laid the entire Army.

Warriors Victory decided he needed to 10 matters back into Syria and left alone Israel through the entire lifetime of Hezekiah is what we are called to do. But the trust in God, sometimes. It's harder than it. Seems we can just a man. Why didn't he has trust in God will let me paint a picture for you. You fight against Israel. You fight against Syria and its small little Nations and they might make you pay tribute. You know, maybe you'll be a vassal King you fight against us.

They're going to torture you to the greatest extent of human imagination, which was pretty good in the 8th Century, BC.

And you're still Concord, and your entire line is put to shame. And so he has a choice to make think that, you know, me in Syria and Israel army on Earth. Align myself with the Align himself with a great tower and then move forward.

That looks like you and I use the best information available. We weigh our options and sometimes trusting in God doesn't seem like it's all. It's cracked up to be. Is intangible, exactly, you know what the benefit is? And we look at we look at the investment options. Once I give money, you know, where if I invested here, seems like instead of trusting in God. We sometimes trust in, man and whatever we trust in anyone or thing, but.

This great light. Now, we have a little bit of the historical contact here. In chapter 9, we still have the prophecy to ahaz the first came the father as it were of these two different teams. And his prophesying to a have to trust in the Lord.

Verse to the people who walk in darkness, seen a great light. This is a reference to Isaiah 4. Verse 6. Won't turn over there with me, Isaiah 4 verse 6. I'll give you a second. In verse 5 then the Lord will create over the whole side of Mount Zion and overheard A Cloud by day and a smoke. And smoke in The Shining of a flaming fire by night. In the book of Isaiah in Old Testament, right? Represent the presence of God. Because the nation of Israel with a pillar of fire at night, and so when there are people who are walking in darkness, in the land of deep Darkness. That is the absence of the presence of God. Deep darkness is what internity without God is also referred to as hell because is the worst thing imaginable. When God revealed his hand, the only thing more terrible.

Until we take God, put your discipline, our instructors in the way. We should go. And it's when God removes his hand, that we should fear.

And the people in the nation of Israel, they are walking in darkness and Isaiah's prophesying. He said, if you trust in the Lord, you will see the Great White Christmas twinkle. But indeed, you can imagine just imagine being an Israelite wandering in the wilderness. And you say, God, are you even there? There's no question whether it's the presence of God manifests, its real cloud, or whether it's nice. You look up, I don't need any night lights in the tent tonight, dad cuz I see the presence of God hear the right like a dummy. Like me to The Shining blinding light, and that is the kind of light.

A great shining manifest presence of God. Kind of light.

Bathe the Deep Darkness. This deep darkness is metaphorical for it is not just stumbling around without a light bulb for flashlight is the very absence of knowing what is right and wrong. It is the opposite. We would look at it towards the end of the passage is the opposite of justice and righteousness, great light illuminates, our life and the sin that needs to come with energy. In fact, it is the skin.

That is causing us to Wade Rebellion against God.

If we look at Isaiah 6, this is just the calling of Isaiah to be a prophet, is a paradigm for what is really supposed to do? Isaiah done to in verse 4 and 5. He recognizes this stand in front of a mighty God and he repents and God is calling in the nation of Israel to do this thing to recognize their sins animation in repair. And then God takes the initiative in verse 6 & 7 Peach. Kuchen, Isaiah smiles and says, behold visit touch your lips, your guilt is taken away from you. And you're all they needed to do was repentant recognize their own skin is real.

First date, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us?

Presence of God, the light of the world.

Walking in Darkness and Light, not a light of rebellion or independence from God.

Is he a hazard problems that he was looking and thinking in human terms, when he was the king of the chosen people of God, and he should have been thinking into buying terms and I asked you today. You think you were you thinking in Divine terms for you are no less chosen, states of God of Israel. Humanistic thinking.

We are beautiful poetry and prose that I won't get into four times take from 2 through 6, but then we have the famous thing for to us. A child is born to us. A son is given. We think of that little baby Yoda, that child being carried around with all of the hope and optimism and end up looking forward to in the future. We say this is wonderful. And we take Isaiah. Who is this? King? Who is the person? Who is this child for? Apparently? There must be a real child that we are to be looking for a child is born to us. Given the government, obviously the king. His name Shall be Called wonderful counselor. His name shall be called The Mighty God. This is no human King. This is no simple. Son of David. This is not a has a son or Hezekiah son.

He will be the Everlasting. Father, the prince of peace, and of the increase of his government and peace. There is no and you see. Setting up here that one day, there will be one to come who is both davidic and divine. Who is human.

And God. You will establish. What we've all been looking for. whenever we go to the pool, when we open our minds of things to come for our children and their future, we imagined it to be like

What isn't happening? We thought when I hoped it would happen, not in their lifetime. But it did happen. We can slip over to Matthew chapter 4 on. Vicodin turn with me. They're Matthew chapter 4? And you can see, inverse 12 that she heard. He has heard that John, he withdrew into

geography matters and leaving now by the

In the territory of.

Zebulon and Natalie. Do that was spoken by the prophet. Isaiah might be the land of zebulun in the Land of Nod. To the way that a Serial came in and made out of the name of Israel because it was simply the past the way that had been shameful had. Now been redeemed for the land of zebulun in the Land of Nod, Tolley by the wing of the sea, beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles. The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, the presence of God, the man Emmanuel God With Us, and that great light of the world is Jesus the Christ, the son of God.

The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light verse 16 of Matthew, for Enzo's dwelling, in the region and shadows dent on them, a light orange. We have put film into prophecy. We have hope. Not is never going to happen like a 2020 Bears. Super Bowl. But in something, where there has been a deposit guaranteeing its ultimate result. That is the one who became, man. Do he was God for you and for me and with that resurrection and the promise to return for a second Advent, that is our hope. What is it like to live in the midst of Prophecy? Will, if we look back 28, has we look back to Hezekiah? Dude, after Hezekiah. There was a king who took away. a number of people, you might know them as

hints for using non Jewish names. Let's go with. I just forgot his name. That's great. Anyway, Daniel thing is Azariah.

Belshazzar. Thank you. She has our beliefs of the first, the second to third Nebuchadnezzar. It's super fun to read that history. Actually would love to tell it all to do. Is what it is like to live in captivity in the midst of you see, Daniel Shadrach Meshach in a Bendigo they read for they recognize that they would be gone for only seventy years. And what did they do? What did Ezra and Nehemiah do they prepared? They were getting ready and we will return to the promised land because God said so and they looked and they study the scripture in they had a. In there. God's. I hope that was picture is immutable. He has never changing but he is not. When do we can do what he expects unexpected or he allowed the unsinkable to happen in Jerusalem?

Chicken wing. A people seemingly destroyed but God is real.

Living in the midst of a prophetic time. It happened. Just as God said, God said, if you don't obey you will be destroyed and taken away and we didn't obey, we were just returning to the land of our fathers. He did that too. But in the midst of the captive time. Shadrach Meshach Abednego Daniel and their contemporaries of which they had many. Dad to live in trusting, baseball anticipation of something that they could should happen from prophecy, but they had no certainty of aside from their faith in God. And you just that same day that we live in today and we have a more certain promised to take out of Syria to take out to kick out the Greeks to kick out the Romans. They were looking 14 days. It is that they got Jesus, the suffering serve. They did not understand understand so much better because God is through his son. Intelligent Christmas season, I wonder. Can we be a little bit like? The Israelites in captivity.

Place Our Hope in circumstantial things and it's reasonable to do. So. It's reasonable to hope that you'll get a nice tax return. When you have three kids and you've got the earned income tax credit and then it's it's reasonable to think you could pay for things that you need to pay for it. When you have good help. You should invest in retirement savings. And I need to have enough money in time in my eighties, or nineties, or so, because I need those are humans. Sometimes. When it comes to the things that matter, we get reoriented. We pay almost the great light of the world Jesus on Christmas morning, maybe at 2, before we open presents in, at our most honest. We'd rather pictures of Joelle the wrapping paper box.

Wait for the depression January set in. And then we don't be disappointed. When everything was new and shiny in. The problem is we are looking for a light to illuminate white, but we're settling for a couple of 20 lights on a Christmas tree.

And I can be literal or metaphorical because sometimes the things we open our job, the business. We just created invented in the promotion that we expect the economy recovering, forgetting to take off the dumb and get it back to Nation a reasonable things to look forward to.

Dinner mind. Reoriented, Austin, Sprite. The greatest times in human history for the advancement of the Gospel. When things are going well.

It is what we are stumbling in darkness and my friends. Great news is about 2020 is that we have stumbled through the whole thing. Nobody has had we look as we should just understand way to respond to it. How many times have you heard the opinion, you know, whatever? They feel like and if you're anything like me, but wait a minute. Did you change the rules for the fourth time? I was running into the end zone and then they moved the goalposts and it gets frustrating for me. But then I don't you know what the best words in the English language, but God is orchestrating. This pandemic? Not just in Kirksville, not just in Missouri or the United States.

I have no idea what God is doing through the pandemic and I say, let's be friends. Whether you realize it or not. We are. We have not a clue. What is going to happen? Economically politically. Religiously human psyche as a country in as a world as the result of this pandemic, but you know what? I know in my lifetime or in another thousand years, or more din fate upon the rock. He's quite sure. He will come again and power and glory and until then we will be. We should be have Isaiah inverter in chapter 6. That we will stay. We will stay here. I am send me.

but that is our cry right now in the midst of pandemic as we distribute ties to neighbors and say what difference in making and the answer is

Because God has not called you to be the solution to the world's problems. God is in the midst of the world's problems. I'm just using that as an example to somebody who

Hardest story this week. Somebody that delivered apply to their neighbors Marchi. And this neighbor is a successful lawyer. Many of you would recognize his or her name. Open the door in the pie would give it to her. He responded. Thank you so much with kindness and gratitude and gratefulness that goes beyond the comprehension. For a pie is not that much money. But the relationship that it allows is worth more than money can buy for you, and I are the connection between Jesus Christ. And people that don't know him. Then we deliver a pie later on, in December. We're going to do something similar with cookies and caroling when we go, when we make some matching to people outside of our small, little bubble that have been made smaller than a right to the world. Amazing. Great light becomes us. That we settle to look at this tiny little twinkle on the Christmas tree. Instead of looking at the light of the world Jesus Christ. What? In the reality, the light is supposed to be shining through was because we have been United in instead of allowing. We huddle in Beach High and we look at the twinkle on the wall. And I don't mean any of this disrespect you and help us to see that, it's not all, doom and gloom, but aside from Jesus gets all doom and gloom because he is. It's only when our circumstances finally turned in America in the West, in the last couple of centuries, right? When our circumstances start to turn away, from being the global superpower. We have all the power and money. It will consolidate.

I understand that. I'm not.

That we can finally say at the end of my dog. The beginning of where I need to be logically, but in reality. In my light, where does Siri meet? The tears.

4021, North steam, steam. I hope there's something besides Jesus expecting results that are based on.

My perspective. My contacts.

When we get to look at the light of the world before Jesus Christ, and we get to Lapham for perspective.

Let's go to verse 6. You guys thought I was finishing up. We're almost there. Don't worry if you're not. Look who Jesus is.

You want a recommendation for a book, ask my dad about the one that he's right about the names of Jesus. I'm sure. Tony Evans does a great job, but you can't hold a candle to the book of Isaiah. What is Jesus, who is, Jesus, is the wonderful counselor. The one who has all the wisdom, the one, who knows, all the things, the one where you don't know who, what, where, when why we can go to that wonderful counselor because he is United to us when we have faith in Christ and we can say, God, give me counsel. Give me wonderful counselor. He is not simply an Earthly, King. He will rain in Google read is the Mighty God in this became Israel. Problem not simply one who is the same as another God. You just look at it from a different perspective. The book of Isaiah lays out front at the god of Israel. In the world. He is the Mighty God Everlasting father. George die. My father, but Jesus Christ and his father will be Everlasting from Everlasting to Everlasting the Prince of Peace. You want a president who will be happen. In the Justin right way until God, the son takes over. In government, we think of territory is Lori going out. The increase of his government and it which is a government like the government of Rome the Pax Romana of Freedom. When Jesus Christ, as his government, it will increase and it is increasing in this day through the church. And when he comes in establish, his kingdom on this Earth and in the new heavens and a new Earth, it will increase be there will be no end on the throne of David and over here to establishing and uphold. He will not simply be a theoretical, he will be a person who will sit on a place to accomplish things.

What things will he accomplished Justice and with it right to be brought in line with just his death, but it is not just your destination. That is awesome. Because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of our own work up until now. And Beyond the time I prophesied you want to be right with God. You better follow the rules.

Otherwise. I hear that your Disobedience, you know what the kids looked us up. What was the punishment of children in the Old Testament? For disobeying your parents? Go look it up. Go. Look it up, Google it.

From this time forth and forevermore this deal of the Lord of hosts will do this. You talk about somebody being a little bit of a excitable person. I've been accused of being a spy people sometimes. Can you imagine the zero of the Lord, of hosts of the Lord? That is the king. The general of the armies of Assyria, the Lord of hosts. The one who commands, the Angels at his beck, and call the one who created by the power of his voice is the one who has the Zeal, that excitement that intention ality is going to accomplish this promises in this book. Some of them have been accomplished and many of them are in when you have two thousand years of silence is easy to forget. But after the prophecy of Isaiah, there was not a whole lot left of what God said before. He fulfilled the promise the first time you have Isaiah you have his contemporaries and then you have people like Ezra and Nehemiah in the Minor Prophets, and then you were gone.

For centuries of Silence. Where's the profit do not speak? Israel does not know. It seems the attack by the Babylonians time. It again, by neighbors are by Egypt, but now, everybody is saying that our God, y'all day is like you're gone. It's just a different perspective. Don't fall for the lie that God is unknowable. And that the god of the Bible is just the same as the god of any other books, or practice or perspective because he is not. He never has been and it isn't that great light that we looked you at Christmas.

Heavenly Father, we come to you and we want to look to your light. We want to see the presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ in our life, but not of the twinkle. But as our motivating factor inciting incident as our main sing. I don't let me. Don't laugh controller, don't get distracted by the things that looms large in our life like politics and math and hunting and jobs and being fathers and mothers and all of the things that are truly important, but there's nothing in comparison with you. Want me to have my key with the word. God help us continue to focus on a mission to continue to focus on Mission here in Kirksville to our neighbors and kindness to help us to walk down the aisle, to Street, the whole way, whatever to share, the hope that we have not for us in the little things that we do. But for you the capital, why God of creation

Couple days ago, Cyber Monday, yesterday thought about shopping is not about things God, so often it can be because it's just the way that we know. I want to see the way that we should go and that is the way that we have formerly known as We look to you in anticipation, knowing that you'll still feel your promises to come again through the person, in the person of Jesus Christ. Just as you did of old, come the first time. And as we expect you to show up, we also look for the unexpected, the unchanging God. We also know that you were the unexpectables. A stop to You music band.