A Child is Born (PT 5)

Introduction

Open Your Bibles this evening to Isaiah Chapter 9 we read verse 1 - 7 for the last time for this sermon series.

I would love to return here int he future because we have only begun to plum the depth of this passage. In the half of verse 7, we are going to look at to night there are easily three more sermons. But we have a duty to be productive, in our study and time together, so God willing we will return some day for those.

Let’s Read

Isaiah 9:1–7 ESV

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. 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. 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. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 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. 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.

May God Bless the Reading of His Holy and Infallible word

Let’s Pray

Transition

Lets time we ended with the statement from the Prophet, “increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” We understand Jesus like other Kings has no exportation date. The Prophet does not leave us with an amorphous, cloudy, undefined, understanding of what this government is like. No, he give us some very specific statements, Let’s pick up in verse 7 with the words,

Body

David is my King (1)

Text

“on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness.” (Isaiah 9:7b, ESV)

Exposition

"on the throne of David and over his kingdom”

Exposition

There is a lot to talka bout Chirst on the throne of David, lets focus in tonight on how this reveals God’ promise keeping.

Flip over to 2 Samuel 7 and lets read verse 11-17 through context. (Myself and others call this passage in 2 Sam, the pinnacle of the Old testament)

Context,

“Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.” (2 Sa 7:7–17, ESV)

Application

God keeps his promise and they all find their yes and amen in Jesus.

David Called him Lord.

“ The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Ps 110:1, ESV)

Jesus quote this verse asking the Pharisee, if Jesus of the son of David why does David call him Lord? (Matt 22:45)

David is my king.

Christ sits on the throne of David.

Christians are not republicans first, we are not democrats, we are people of the King who currently reigns.

Illustration

Verse 14 of 2 Sam 7 says, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men”

The parable of the prodigal son is an illustration God provided for us to see how he does this.

The son goes astray, God in his wisdom sends a famine to remind the son of his good God father.

God sends difficulty, God send Famine, God send Spiritual hunger to correct his way ward children, not in-spite of his love, but because his love NEVER departs from them.

A holy dissatisfaction with your level of spiritual growth, a hunger for righteous (we will get to righteousness here in a moment) in your life, a feeling a famine in your soul, is a sign of God’s love for you.

Jesus reigns, so the in him and the apostle Paul says, we have every blessing in heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3)

Those heavenly blessing just might include a few heavenly spankings.

Transition

We are then told by the prophet, God purpose in appointing Jesus to the throne of David.

“to establish it and to uphold”

Exposition

This is another way of saying, the government is on his shoulder, he upholds it.

Because he is the wonderful counselor this government is prefect in all its laws towards his people

Because he is the Mighty God, this governments lacks no protection of his people.

Because he is everlasting he can continually execute his office as King forever for his people

Because he is all wise, all powerful, everlasting, there is peace for his people forever.

Application

How do we apply this, where does this glorious truth meet our life. The creeds an confession of Christianity help to ground us in application of the truth. That is why you find me quoting from the 1698 quite a bit. I want you to see that we are not starting over, Christians have faithfully applied these things from the start.

This is how we can apply these truth within the church

The 1698 chapter 26 article 4 “The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner; neither can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof, but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.” [1]

When Jesus comes no one will be wondering about the who’s in charge.

How do we apply these things in the world,

Again the 1689 Chapter 24 article 1 “God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates to be under Him, over the people, for His own glory and the public good; and to this end has armed them with the power of the sword, for defense and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers.” [2]

Transition

We see this right here, as Isaiah goes on to say, "with justice and with righteousness.” Those governments here on earth the execute righteousness, and justice are in reality carrying out the work of God.

"with justice and with righteousness.”

Exposition

Calvin Comments here, “He describes the quality of the kingdom, but by a comparison drawn from earthly governments; for he says that Christ will be a King, to order and establish his kingdom with judgment and with righteousness. These are the means by which earthly governments prosper and take deep roots; but those which are only administered by fear and violence cannot be lasting. Since, therefore, justice is the best guardian of kingdoms and governments, and since the happiness of the whole of the people depends on it, by this clause Isaiah shows that the kingdom of Christ will be the model of the best kind of government.” [3]

Remember my comment from before about a Christian not being a Republican of Democrat first. We are what we are because we understand exactly what Calvin is saying, we seek justice, we love righteousness, because that’s the kingdom of our King, and we know that the nation will prosper when it is just.

Application

We cannot talk about a nation prospering or justice without addressing the genocide happening in the USA today.

A nation cannot prosper while it murders of the innocent go without punishment. When there is no justice the king of justice will come with judgment.

Illustration

Again God gives us an Illustration, the wicked tenants.

“33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (Mt 21:33–40 ESV)

The master planned a vineyard

He put people in charge of the work of the vineyard

The he sent to them to give account

They did not act justly but instead killing his messengers

Killed his son

What does he do? Comes with Judgement and executes justice.

The blood of millions of innocents cry out to God from this land. God will avenge them. There will be justice. Our message, the message of the church needs to be, REPENT America. Throw yourself on the mercy of this King, he rules with “justice and with righteousness.”

Transition

We should note the tense here, Christ reigns with justice right now, look at the next statement by the prophet.

He Reigns Now (2)

Text

“from this time forth and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:7b)

Exposition

“from this time forth and forevermore”

Exposition

What time? The time of the birth of the Baby.

“25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Co 15:25–26, ESV)

Application

Calvin supplies a little application for us saying, “As Christ’s kingdom is everlasting, because he dieth no more, (Rom. 6:9,) so it follows that righteousness and judgment will be everlasting, for they cannot be changed by any length of time.” [4]

Understanding Christ is reigning now in forms our understanding of history and prophecy.

The prophet says, from the time of his Babies birth and always after he reigns.

Illustration

When David became king of Israel there were enemies that threatened the nation of Israel. David slowly ended the power of those enemies to hurt Israel. By the end of David’s reign Israel was a peace.

Christ, sitting on the throne of David is ending one by one the enemies of God’s people. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Co 10:5, ESV) These ideologies are taken captive one by one, just like David’s enemies. The Amalekites, the Amorites, the philistine, the progressives, the socialists, atheists, all fall before the Davidic kingdom and it grows to fill the whole earth. (Daniel 2:44, ESV)

Transition

There is much to explore about the rule of Jesus, which informs how we understand the book of Revelation, the nature of Christ’s reign, and the work of the church today.

Just think for example, is the one returning in revelation 19 with his robes dipped in the blood of his enemies.

For now we will focus in on the actor, the last part of verse 7.

Who Does this? (3)

Text

“The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:7c, ESV)

Exposition

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this

Exposition

I am going to let Calvin explain and apply this for us. “I understand that ardent desire which God will display in preserving his Church, by removing all difficulties and obstructions which might otherwise have hindered its redemption.” [5]

Application

Calvin goes on to apply this saying, “When we engage in any difficult undertaking, our earnestness, and the warmth of our feelings, overcome the difficulties which present themselves to baffle or retard our attempts. In like manner Isaiah shows that God is inflamed with an uncommon and extraordinary desire to promote the salvation of the Church, so that if believers cannot measure by their own capacity what he has just now promised, still they ought not to cease to entertain confident hope, for the manner of it is wonderful and inconceivable. In short, he intimates that God will come with no light or slow arm to redeem his Church, for he will be all on flame with amazing love of believers, and anxiety about their salvation.”[6]

Illustration

The Father sees the prodigal son returning, he is a far off, the son is broken, repenting, the father grabs his robe and runs to his son. The son is unworthy, the son has sinned, the son has done injustice, but the fathers love cannot be turned aside.

Conclusion

As we conclude in Isaiah 9 and this evening, understand friends, that the coming of Christ is the zeal of God, the love of God for his people being made known.

Benediction

So I say with the Apostle Paul, “38 [] I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38–39, ESV)

And all of God’s People say, Amen

References

[1] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2491.

[2] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2490.

[3] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 315.

[4] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 316.

[5] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 316–317.

[6] Ibid

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and William Pringle. Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.