WE HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT

Introduction

-{Isaiah 9}

-Just when you think that the world cannot get any crazier, the world says HEY, CHECK THIS OUT, and decides to one up itself. Last week, in Dallas Texas, there were some parents took their kids to a gay bar for a drag queen show at an event entitled “Drag Your Kids to Pride,” with both parents and kids handing the dancers dollar bills like it was some sort of strip show. Y’all, I cannot make this stuff up.

-Other than the fact that I am just shocked and horrified and strongly believe that there is a need to get all those kids into some kind of protection, there is a sermon-related reason that I bring this up. Because, for people to actually think that this is OK and healthy, the souls of those parents, the bar owner, and the dancers have to be in complete and utter darkness, because their actions reflect complete and utter darkness. And, according to Scripture, that’s exactly what is going on. Ephesians 4:18 says that the lost are darkened in their understanding. Colossians 1:13 says that the lost belong to the kingdom of darkness. Luke 1:79 says that the lost live in darkness. Those who are separated from God are in this darkness and they live like it.

-And you read that story and a million other stories about all other sorts of craziness in the world and you just shake your head and wonder if there is anything that can stop this madness. You wonder if there is anything to penetrate the ever-growing, thick darkness that is around.

-And there might be a more personal reason we ask these types of questions, because even Christians have darkness to contend with. There might be the darkness of some sin that we just can’t get rid of. There might be the darkness of some sort of emotional weight that is upon us like depression or anxiety—what has been referred to as a dark night of the soul. Is there anything that can get through that darkness?

-In order to dispel darkness, you have to be exposed to light, and there is only one source of light that is able to shine so bright. In the passage that we are looking at today, Isaiah prophesied that God would set up a great King who would bring light to the land during some very dark times. And as we will find out, God has provided that same light to dispel the darkness that is in the world and in our lives, and my prayer is that we allow that light to shine bright.

Isaiah 9:1–7 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 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. 7 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.

-I want to give some context to what is going on in this passage. Normally we read verses 6-7 at Christmas time, but there is a greater need for it right now. In the passages that had come before this, God through Isaiah prophesied great judgment from God which would later come through the captivity of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians. The description is one of great darkness and hopelessness. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali would be affected first since the army would come from the north and these would be the two areas that would be overrun first as the army made its way south. What was prophesied certainly contained a lot of doom and gloom.

-But, because God is gracious and merciful and abounding in lovingkindness, God would eventually break through that darkness by sending into the world a much-needed light. What was that light? That’s what is answered in vv. 6-7. The light would come in the form of a child who would be born, and through that child God would set up His Kingdom. All of God’s Kingdom and rule would fall on the shoulders of this child, who was no ordinary child. This child is the Wonderful Counselor, which means He is imbued with supernatural wisdom. He is mighty God, meaning He was a divine warrior who would fight for His people. This child is the Everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity, meaning that all of time and space are under His command. And He is the Prince of Peace, the only one who could give true peace by making peace between God and man. This child, this son, is the light that penetrates the darkness. And we know that this divine light-bearer is Jesus Christ.

-Jesus Christ alone can penetrate every type of spiritual darkness that is found in creation. And throughout this passage, God through Isaiah describes how Christ’s light would affect the darkness of the world and the darkness of humanity. And I am going to quickly share these three areas with you in the hopes that it is an encouragement to you as we try to work through what is going on in the world and what might be going on in our very own hearts.

1) The light of Christ gives life

-V. 2 tells us that for those who dwell in the land of deep darkness a light has shone upon them. The land of deep darkness is imagery of the Hebrew concept of Sheol—the grave or the abode of the dead. Death and darkness go hand in hand as mortal enemies of God’s creation, and Christ alone is able to defeat both.

-I mentioned earlier that the Bible describes those who are separated from God as being in darkness, but these lost people are also described as being spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1, Ephesians 2:5, and Colossians 2:13 all talk about people being dead in their trespasses, sins, and transgressions. When you are in spiritual darkness you are also spiritually dead. And what the spiritually dead need is light that will also give them life. Jesus Christ is that light. And so, for example, the apostle John began his gospel saying:

John 1:4–5 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And then later in the same gospel, Jesus said about Himself:

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

-Jesus is the light that gives life. Upon belief in Jesus Christ a person’s spirit is made alive, and once that happens no amount of darkness can overcome it or snuff it out. And this light will not only give spiritual life, but with it comes the promise of a resurrected physical life where the great enemy of physical death will be reversed and defeated. And not only are there these great promises, but then the Bible tells us that the light of Christ delivers us out of the hands of the devil who has the power of darkness and death. We are removed from the domain of Satan’s darkness and we are moved into the Kingdom of the light of Jesus Christ.

-So, the light of Christ gives life to unbelievers. But I also want to mention that for believers, it is the light of Jesus Christ that can breathe new life into us. When we go through times of despair and we feel so lifeless, it is Christ that will renew our life. Later in Isaiah, we are promised:

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

-Jesus Christ not only gives new life He also gives renewed life when we feel beat down by the world. And so, bring your darkness to Christ and His light will give you life.

-And it should be noted that no one is outside the realm of receiving the light of life. The apostle Paul was a hard-hearted persecutor of the church until the light of Christ shone on Him. All these people that we look at and judge as too far gone even for Christ are not. Those parents and bar owners and drag queens can receive life. Even their darkness cannot overcome Jesus’ light. Jesus’ light is strong enough to give life to anybody. But not only does the light of Christ give life...

2) The light of Christ gives joy

-v. 3 speaks about how this light that gives life increases the joy of the people that it touches. It speaks of joy that that one feels at times of great abundance. That doesn’t mean that God will give great physical and worldly abundance, but that through the light you feel like you have everything that you need. And you do, because you have Christ, the light of the world.

We are told

Psalm 30:5 ESV

5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

-Joy comes when the light dawns. Yes, in this lifetime there is darkness, but in Christ we can look toward the end knowing what the outcome of our lives will be and what the outcome of history will be. And knowing where everything is headed, we find our joy in that. Joy has nothing to do with our circumstances but has everything to do with where our trust is placed. The psalmist tells us:

Psalm 16:11 ESV

11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

-Sometimes we bring this darkness upon ourselves because life isn’t going the way that we wanted it to or the way we had planned it to, and so we become discontent because things aren’t going the way we had it all laid out for ourselves—the focus becomes inward. We will be discontent looking at ourselves because (1) we don’t have the power to control anything other than our attitudes and choices, and (2) trying to keep God out of directing our lives will always lead to bad paths.

-The psalmist didn’t say there is fullness of joy when we think things are going our way. The psalmist didn’t say there is fullness of joy when we think ourselves strong and independent. The psalmist didn’t say there is fullness of joy by going the way of the world. The psalmist said in God’s presence and living in His light there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Our discontentment and fleshliness and worldliness keeps us in darkness. But when we come to the light we find an abundance of joy that no circumstance and no person can ever take away from us. But you have to come to the light. We also see...

3) The light of Christ gives freedom

-In v. 4 the prophet speaks of how the light breaks the yoke and staff of burden and the rod of the oppressor. In a very literal sense, Israel would be oppressed by the Assyrians, and with that physical oppression would come with the mental and spiritual oppression that dark powers would take advantage of due to those circumstances. They had a literal visible burden from the foreign nation and then their hearts would carry the invisible burdens. But the prophet speaks of how that burden would be broken from the light of the King who would come.

-But now, the thing about this verse is that literal, visible, physical oppression never ceased. After the Assyrians came the Babylonians; after the Babylonians came the Medo-Persians; after the Medo-Persians came the Greeks; after the Greeks came the Romans, and it was the Romans that destroyed Jerusalem and drove the people from the land for almost 2000 years. When the promised child of light came, the Romans were in charge and were still in charge after He died and rose again. And so the freedom that was promised was not necessarily visible and physical. But through that light, people would be freed from the mental and spiritual oppressions that kept humanity down long before the dawning of all these empires.

-Jesus frees from the bondage and yoke of sin and spiritual oppression. In John chapter 8, after Jesus told the people that He is the light of the world, He speaks how this light will set people free. And so Jesus has this interchange with some Jews:

John 8:31–36 ESV

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

-We are born with a nature enslaved to sin and unable to withstand the oppression of the powers of darkness. However, even in the midst of a literal or figurative prison, the light of Christ can set your spirit and soul free, and even when physically imprisoned, you can still live spiritually free.

-There was a story I read of a Vietnam war vet who gave the following account of his experience. He said in an interview, “When I was a prisoner of war in Vietnam…my captors would tie my arms behind my back and then loop the rope around my neck and ankles so that my head was pulled down between my knees. I was often left like that throughout the night. One night a guard came into my cell. He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain. The next morning, when his shift ended, the guard returned and retightened the ropes, never saying a word to me.

A month or so later, on Christmas Day, I was standing in the dirt courtyard when I saw that same guard approach me. He walked up and stood silently next to me, not looking or smiling at me. Then he used his sandaled foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas, even in the darkness of a Vietnamese prison camp.”

-So, even though he was a literal prisoner, the reminder of the light of Christ set his spirit free to worship and ponder the greatness of God. And v. 5 talks about the peace that comes from the freedom that the light gives. Regardless of physical circumstances, the light sets your spirit free and you are able to live at peace internally.

-You might feel like a prisoner with the oppression of a sin habit, you might feel the oppression of spiritual warfare, you might feel the oppression of dark nights of the soul, but when exposed to the light there can be freedom from yokes and burdens that you carry. Yes, you might still have physical issues. Yes, your life circumstances might not be the greatest. But your mind and spirit and soul do not have to be chained up with your circumstances. You can have freedom and peace of mind and spirit if you let the light of Christ shine on your heart.

Conclusion

-The light of Jesus Christ is amazing and wonderful and available and it has the power to change lives.

-In his book entitled Breakthrough Prayer, Jim Cymbala tells of a young man who literally was cursed from the start. If anyone would be beyond God’s reach cast into utter darkness, it would have been Nicky Cruz. Born in a house in Puerto Rico where it was literally dedicated to the power of darkness, the family practiced sorcery, séances, and trafficking with evil spirits. Nicky was 1 of 18 children living in a house frequented by mediums and spiritualists. Lacking attention, Nicky would act up as a child and be severely punished and tortured for his actions. His mother called him son of Satan, and he grew up to be an uncontrollable rebel. At the age of 15 his parents sent him to America because they couldn’t handle him anymore. He disappeared from relatives’ homes and took to living in the streets. He became the warlord of a vicious street gang called the Mau Maus. Filled with rage and anger he expressed it through violence, crime, and bloodshed. He was a twisted psychopath in a world of darkness who even frightened his friends; and most police psychologists said his lifestyle was heading to take him to the electric chair.

-Then God sent a street preacher who dared to share the gospel with Nicky. Through that street preacher, God shed light into the dark soul of Nicky Cruz and he was miraculously saved. Instead of being filled with rage, he was filled with love. God so moved in his life, he eventually became an evangelist that God used in a mighty way. There is nowhere that the light of Christ cannot penetrate and bring great change.

-That is the power of the light of Christ. However, many people choose to block the light out of their lives so they can continue in the darkness which will lead to their judgment. Jesus talked about this:

John 3:19–21 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

-So, hear me now, if you have not entered into the light of Jesus Christ, you are still dwelling in the land of deep darkness and not only will you have to deal with physical death, the Bible says you also have to contend with the second death which is eternal death. Believe in Jesus Christ and let His light shine...

-But if you are a Christian, the question might be are living like you have life? Is the light of Christ making a difference in your life, or are you blocking out the light?

Romans 13:12 ESV

12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Ephesians 5:8 ESV

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

-Come to the altar and shed Christ’s light in areas of your life where you’ve kept it dark. Or maybe you know someone who need the light of Christ to shine for salvation or for some area of your life, come lift them up in prayer.