First Sunday of Advent – Our expectation and hope! - Isaiah 9:2-7
First Sunday of Advent – Our expectation and hope! - Isaiah 9:2-7
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 1, 2013 AM
One of the great things to do with children is to keep an advent calendar and countdown the days until Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the first Advent, the coming of the Savior of the world! As believers, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But we also wait eagerly for the second advent when Christ will return! "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV)
Certainly, a large part of our lives center around anticipation. How much we would lose if we were to wake up one day to the unexpected announcement: "Christmas in 10 minutes!" The enjoyment in many of life's events is built on the fact that we have time to anticipate them. Whether it is Christmas, vacations, trips, or sporting events, all grow in value because of the hours we spend looking forward to them—eagerly running through our minds the fun, challenges, and excitement they'll bring. Now imagine if you will the anticipation of the salvation of mankind coming to earth. That is what the first Sunday of Advent is all about, our expectation and hope! Let's discover why…
READ: Isaiah 9:2-7
Salvation would not break forth till it had become utterly dark along the horizon of Israel, according to Isaiah, "In that day… if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds." (Isaiah 5:29-30 NIV) -- Literally when the land of Jehovah, had become a land of the shadow of death because of the apostasy of its inhabitants. Sound familiar? It is always darkest before the dawn and here we discover that…
I. The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world! (Vv. 2-3)
1. We are often introduced to a myriad of end of the world scenarios, from fiery asteroids crashing into the earth to killer zombie viruses that threaten all of mankind. Yet few in our day even give a nod or notice to the spiritual darkness that has engulfed the world. It is the same spiritual darkness that was overwhelming Israel. Like the spread of darkness by the Dark Lord Sauron in the Lord of the Rings written by Tolkien. Everywhere his influence touched became vile, corrupted, and spiritually dark. Tolkien deliberately wrote his books about Middle Earth as kind of a tale of how sin affects mankind. We find in the pages of Scripture that whenever mankind neglected their God, spiritual darkness spread. But now, "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." The veil is rendered! The darkness is pierced by the rising sun! Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings tells the embattled at Helms Deep, "Look to my coming, at first light, on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East!" John wrote, "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world!" (John 1:9 NIV) Jesus related, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21 NIV) Isaiah saw that the light of God would return to spiritually dark Israel, and in fact, "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." While those who loved God had been reduced to a remnant, they would be "enlarged" and their "joy" increased. They would rejoice again! The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world!
EXAMPLE: As a child, I began to fear the darkness. Part of the problem was my brother Ed who loved to whisper frightening scenarios to me after we had crawled into bed. But it was also because I could not see what laid in wait in the darkness. Now isn't it interesting that Scripture tells us that the ungodly love darkness "instead of light because their deeds" are evil. And, in fact, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." I loved to have a flashlight as a kid that I could turn on to make sure there was nothing out there that could harm me. Light does that. It exposes anything that tries to hide in either the darkness of sin or a darkened room! With great anticipation Isaiah longed for the first Advent when the Messiah would bring light into a darkened world!
David would cry out, "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." (Psalms 51:3 NIV) Mankind has always struggled with the sins of life. And, Jesus gave us examples whereby we come away realizing that we could never live up to the standard He has given us, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20 NIV) But, now Isaiah tells us that…
II. The Messiah will ease the burden of sin! (Vv. 4-5)
1. No one could have believed for even one second that the weak, ineffective, and subservient Israelites would pose any kind of threat to the more powerful Midianites. Yet, God did just that and in fact did it through someone totally unexpected! The future deliverance, which the prophet here celebrates, would be the counterpart of the Egyptian enslavement. Then, the whole of the great nation of Israel was redeemed, whereas now only a small remnant would participate in the final redemption! Isaiah compares it to the day when Gideon broke seven years domination of Midian over Israel. And, it would occur not with a great army, but with a handful of resolute warriors, strong in the Lord (Judges 7)! It was God "as in the day of Midian's defeat" Who "shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, (and) the rod of their oppressor." He did it through the One whom He will send. This will be a supernatural work of God! So complete will be the act of God sending His Messiah to ease our burden of sin that, "Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire." We see that all the trappings of the oppressor are heaped into a pile and set on fire; and, as they blaze up, the freed slaves exult in their liberty. Even the blood-drenched cloaks have been stripped from the corpses; they are tossed on the heap, and, saturated as they are, they burn! So complete is the victory that even the weapons of the conquered are destroyed. Our conquering King has been manifested, that He might annihilate the powers by which evil holds us bound. His victory is utterly complete; by His power and might the Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
EXAMPLE: Today the Federal debt has become an enormous financial burden that many simply ignore. The estimated population of the United States is 317,129,319 so each citizen's share of this debt is $54,289.61. That is way more money than I make in a year! And it increases every day by $2.72 billion! It is an huge burden on us and future generations because it is an added tax to everything we buy and will affect how we live. Fewer college graduates will get jobs because there are fewer people retiring in order to survive, fewer companies hire because they have to pay off their share of taxes, and therefore goods and services increase for the same reasons. Incomes and retirement are reduced as taxes increase. It is a debt we can never pay that we had no say in what we owed! Jesus related to Peter, "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Peter replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. (Luke 7:41-43 NIV) The sin debt of Israel and the entire world was enormous and could never be paid by all the sacrifices that could ever be made! Rejoice! By His power and might the Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
The promise of God would take an unexpected turn as His promises often do. This is why I often chuckle over those who think they have the return of Jesus all figured out, especially when He told us, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV) This is why it was so amazing when Isaiah prophesized thousands of years beforehand that…
III. The Messiah will be born both God and man! (Vv. 6-7)
1. Here is a wonderful amazing truth that makes even the hardest heart pause, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders." The Savior of the world, the Messiah, would be born a babe and all of God's government would be placed squarely on His small shoulders! Do you understand the importance of these few words? Can you grasp their meaning for all mankind? God's messengers would share with scruffy shepherds, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12 NIV) There it is, amazing isn't it? But more than that, "he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, (and) Prince of Peace." Four beautiful names describe Him for us; He will be an exceptional teacher, the embodiment of our powerful God, reflecting His eternal nature, which brings the peace that surpasses all understanding! Now, Isaiah did not fully realize that Jesus would be the One who would fulfill all of this during His first advent, but it will come about that "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 forever." God's promise to David would come true! God would rule and reign through His Messiah! How and why would God do this wonderful thing? Isaiah says, "The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." It would be done because God joyously chose to do it! How totally marvelous that the fulfillment of God's promises is found in a tiny babe, wrapped in swaddling, lying in a manger! Isaiah's promise that the Messiah will be born both God and man is complete in Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: Jesus related, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 NIV) "I am the bread of life." (John 6:48 NIV) "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12 NIV) "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58 NIV) "I am the good shepherd." (John 10:11 NIV) "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25 NIV) "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV) "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30 NIV) "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 NIV) The first Advent is the celebration of the fulfillment of Isaiah's promise that the Messiah will be born both God and man, Jesus Christ!
Conclusion:
The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world!
The Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
The Messiah will be born both God and man!
—
This article is copyrighted © 2013 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
December 1, 2013 AM
One of the great things to do with children is to keep an advent calendar and countdown the days until Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the first Advent, the coming of the Savior of the world! As believers, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But we also wait eagerly for the second advent when Christ will return! "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NIV)
Certainly, a large part of our lives center around anticipation. How much we would lose if we were to wake up one day to the unexpected announcement: "Christmas in 10 minutes!" The enjoyment in many of life's events is built on the fact that we have time to anticipate them. Whether it is Christmas, vacations, trips, or sporting events, all grow in value because of the hours we spend looking forward to them—eagerly running through our minds the fun, challenges, and excitement they'll bring. Now imagine if you will the anticipation of the salvation of mankind coming to earth. That is what the first Sunday of Advent is all about, our expectation and hope! Let's discover why…
READ: Isaiah 9:2-7
Salvation would not break forth till it had become utterly dark along the horizon of Israel, according to Isaiah, "In that day… if one looks at the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be darkened by the clouds." (Isaiah 5:29-30 NIV) -- Literally when the land of Jehovah, had become a land of the shadow of death because of the apostasy of its inhabitants. Sound familiar? It is always darkest before the dawn and here we discover that…
I. The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world! (Vv. 2-3)
1. We are often introduced to a myriad of end of the world scenarios, from fiery asteroids crashing into the earth to killer zombie viruses that threaten all of mankind. Yet few in our day even give a nod or notice to the spiritual darkness that has engulfed the world. It is the same spiritual darkness that was overwhelming Israel. Like the spread of darkness by the Dark Lord Sauron in the Lord of the Rings written by Tolkien. Everywhere his influence touched became vile, corrupted, and spiritually dark. Tolkien deliberately wrote his books about Middle Earth as kind of a tale of how sin affects mankind. We find in the pages of Scripture that whenever mankind neglected their God, spiritual darkness spread. But now, "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." The veil is rendered! The darkness is pierced by the rising sun! Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings tells the embattled at Helms Deep, "Look to my coming, at first light, on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East!" John wrote, "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world!" (John 1:9 NIV) Jesus related, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21 NIV) Isaiah saw that the light of God would return to spiritually dark Israel, and in fact, "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." While those who loved God had been reduced to a remnant, they would be "enlarged" and their "joy" increased. They would rejoice again! The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world!
EXAMPLE: As a child, I began to fear the darkness. Part of the problem was my brother Ed who loved to whisper frightening scenarios to me after we had crawled into bed. But it was also because I could not see what laid in wait in the darkness. Now isn't it interesting that Scripture tells us that the ungodly love darkness "instead of light because their deeds" are evil. And, in fact, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." I loved to have a flashlight as a kid that I could turn on to make sure there was nothing out there that could harm me. Light does that. It exposes anything that tries to hide in either the darkness of sin or a darkened room! With great anticipation Isaiah longed for the first Advent when the Messiah would bring light into a darkened world!
David would cry out, "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." (Psalms 51:3 NIV) Mankind has always struggled with the sins of life. And, Jesus gave us examples whereby we come away realizing that we could never live up to the standard He has given us, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20 NIV) But, now Isaiah tells us that…
II. The Messiah will ease the burden of sin! (Vv. 4-5)
1. No one could have believed for even one second that the weak, ineffective, and subservient Israelites would pose any kind of threat to the more powerful Midianites. Yet, God did just that and in fact did it through someone totally unexpected! The future deliverance, which the prophet here celebrates, would be the counterpart of the Egyptian enslavement. Then, the whole of the great nation of Israel was redeemed, whereas now only a small remnant would participate in the final redemption! Isaiah compares it to the day when Gideon broke seven years domination of Midian over Israel. And, it would occur not with a great army, but with a handful of resolute warriors, strong in the Lord (Judges 7)! It was God "as in the day of Midian's defeat" Who "shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, (and) the rod of their oppressor." He did it through the One whom He will send. This will be a supernatural work of God! So complete will be the act of God sending His Messiah to ease our burden of sin that, "Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire." We see that all the trappings of the oppressor are heaped into a pile and set on fire; and, as they blaze up, the freed slaves exult in their liberty. Even the blood-drenched cloaks have been stripped from the corpses; they are tossed on the heap, and, saturated as they are, they burn! So complete is the victory that even the weapons of the conquered are destroyed. Our conquering King has been manifested, that He might annihilate the powers by which evil holds us bound. His victory is utterly complete; by His power and might the Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
EXAMPLE: Today the Federal debt has become an enormous financial burden that many simply ignore. The estimated population of the United States is 317,129,319 so each citizen's share of this debt is $54,289.61. That is way more money than I make in a year! And it increases every day by $2.72 billion! It is an huge burden on us and future generations because it is an added tax to everything we buy and will affect how we live. Fewer college graduates will get jobs because there are fewer people retiring in order to survive, fewer companies hire because they have to pay off their share of taxes, and therefore goods and services increase for the same reasons. Incomes and retirement are reduced as taxes increase. It is a debt we can never pay that we had no say in what we owed! Jesus related to Peter, "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Peter replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. (Luke 7:41-43 NIV) The sin debt of Israel and the entire world was enormous and could never be paid by all the sacrifices that could ever be made! Rejoice! By His power and might the Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
The promise of God would take an unexpected turn as His promises often do. This is why I often chuckle over those who think they have the return of Jesus all figured out, especially when He told us, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36 NIV) This is why it was so amazing when Isaiah prophesized thousands of years beforehand that…
III. The Messiah will be born both God and man! (Vv. 6-7)
1. Here is a wonderful amazing truth that makes even the hardest heart pause, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders." The Savior of the world, the Messiah, would be born a babe and all of God's government would be placed squarely on His small shoulders! Do you understand the importance of these few words? Can you grasp their meaning for all mankind? God's messengers would share with scruffy shepherds, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10-12 NIV) There it is, amazing isn't it? But more than that, "he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, (and) Prince of Peace." Four beautiful names describe Him for us; He will be an exceptional teacher, the embodiment of our powerful God, reflecting His eternal nature, which brings the peace that surpasses all understanding! Now, Isaiah did not fully realize that Jesus would be the One who would fulfill all of this during His first advent, but it will come about that "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 forever." God's promise to David would come true! God would rule and reign through His Messiah! How and why would God do this wonderful thing? Isaiah says, "The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." It would be done because God joyously chose to do it! How totally marvelous that the fulfillment of God's promises is found in a tiny babe, wrapped in swaddling, lying in a manger! Isaiah's promise that the Messiah will be born both God and man is complete in Jesus Christ!
EXAMPLE: Jesus related, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 NIV) "I am the bread of life." (John 6:48 NIV) "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12 NIV) "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58 NIV) "I am the good shepherd." (John 10:11 NIV) "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." (John 11:25 NIV) "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NIV) "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30 NIV) "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9 NIV) The first Advent is the celebration of the fulfillment of Isaiah's promise that the Messiah will be born both God and man, Jesus Christ!
Conclusion:
The Messiah would bring light to a darkened world!
The Messiah will ease the burden of sin!
The Messiah will be born both God and man!
—
This article is copyrighted © 2013 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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