Sermon Tone Analysis

Isaiah 9:1-7

Worship the Son who is Given

 

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 shined.

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.[1]

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he words of *verse six* are well-known to all who have attended a performance of Handle’s Messiah.

The haunting lyrics seem to seep into our consciousness where they reside throughout the remainder of the year.

Of course, those words recite the Names by which the Messiah shall be called.

Hearing those beautiful words sung, or even read, we find ourselves silently exclaiming, “No wonder we worship this child.”

Christmas is about Christ, about God with us.

God, the Triune God, loves His fallen creation.

When our first parents fell from their privileged position in the Garden, God pronounced a curse, just as He had said He would do.

However, even as God cursed the serpent who had deceived our first mother, He made a glorious promise of a coming Redeemer.

That promise is referred to as the protoevangelium by theologians.

/I will put enmity between you and the woman,/

/and between your offspring and her offspring;/

/he shall bruise your head,/

/and you shall bruise his heel/.

[*Genesis 3:15*]

 

The millennia passed, and the lineage of the promised Redeemer narrowed and narrowed, until it reached a point as sharp as the tip of a spear—a young Jewish girl longing for the Messiah who would deliver mankind from sin.

Long before the Messiah came—seven hundred fifty years before His arrival—Isaiah prophesied of His coming.

One of the greatest of all Old Testament prophecies is that which is recorded in our text.

Though our world celebrates Christmas, after a fashion, it is greatly to be regretted that few give evidence of understanding what is celebrated.

Christmas is variously described as a holy season, a family celebration, a mid-winter festival or a children’s holiday.

Perhaps it is a holy season, but for Christians, it is no more holy than any other season, since we are in any case to live as a holy people.

Certainly, we think of families gathering at Christmas, but that is more a cultural phenomenon than it is a religious matter.

Only because of the date fixed for the event is this a mid-winter festival.

Though children indeed look forward to Christmas Day, I suspect that they do so with no more enthusiasm than does any adult.

What, then, is Christmas about?

That is the subject of the message as we explore Isaiah’s message—a message which actually calls us to worship the Child who is given.

Open your Bible to the text, *Isaiah 9:1-7*, and discover some of the riches surrounding Christ’s birth as we explore the Word together.

Light and Joy — The text begins by focusing our attention on joy and light, two facets marking the Faith of Christ the Lord as practised in those who have received His grace.

Those who are the redeemed of the Lord are said to have been delivered from darkness into light, and those who have been saved experience joy.

These aspects of life for the faithful are contrasted to the conditions which mark the lost—darkness and gloom.

Christians are identified as the light of the world [*Matthew 5:14*].

This is in no small measure because the prophecies made concerning the Christ at His First Advent focused on the fact that He was to be a light for revelation to the Gentiles [*Luke 2:32*].

Recall that John begins His Gospel account with a marvellous declaration concerning the Messiah, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men [*John 1:4*].

In a similar vein, note that the judgement pronounced upon those outside the Faith is because they have failed to receive the light.

Listen to the dark words of *John 3:19*.

This is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

Those who live in darkness love the darkness.

Those who are of the light seek the light.

Light characterises those who are God’s people.

At one time [each of us was] darkness, but now [we] are light in the Lord [*Ephesians 5:8*].

The teaching of the Apostle was designed so that Christians may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world [*Philippians 2:15*].

In his earliest letter, Paul spoke of the light which characterises the saints.

You are all children of light, children of the day.

We are not of the night or of the darkness [*1 Thessalonians 5:5*].

Indeed, we who are Christians have been called out of darkness into his glorious light [*1 Peter 2:9*].

Christians walk in the light because they live in the light.

They are children of the light, and therefore they shed the light of life abroad as they go through their daily lives.

What light can be shone through the lives of those living only for this world?

They are separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world [see *Ephesians 2:12*].

Should I appeal to false religions, I discover that they have no light, but instead they bind the souls of men to mortal deeds which are destined to die with those who perform such acts.

I note that the Canadian forces proudly announced that they have just appointed the first Muslim chaplain.

Can this man comfort soldiers facing death?

Perhaps he can tell them to commit suicide because they will have seventy-two virgins waiting for them?

I have no doubt that he is well-schooled in sociology and perhaps he is even versed in psychology, so he should be capable of a measure of psychological counselling, but what light has he to offer to those facing the prospect of death?

Any Christian would admonish men and women facing such terror to first ensure that they had seized true life which is offered only in the person of Christ the Lord.

Then, having cared for the eternal well being of those facing death, Christians would counsel the warriors to act manly—courageously, wisely and with compassion when once they have defeated an enemy.

What is obvious is that the Muslim, as is true of the pretenders of the Christian Faith who wear the livery of righteousness though possessing none of the character of the righteous, has no light.

They have no hope beyond this moment and therefore they cannot speak with certainty of what lies beyond death, which must come to all alike.

However, even the most humble saint has a message of light.

Similarly, joy is characteristic for those who are redeemed.

Perhaps you noted the article which was printed in the Washington Times this past Thursday.

It reported that “religious people are happier than those without spirituality in their life.”

Here are some other comments from that news article.

“Religious people seem to have a greater purpose in life, which is why they are happier…  [I]t seems those who celebrate the Christian meaning of Christmas are, on the whole, likely to be happier…  [P]eople who foster a sense of community through charitable donations and helping others also proved happier than those just looking to fatten up their own pocketbooks.”[2]

Of course, the writer of this piece was focused on the concept of “happiness,” whereas the Word of God presents joy resulting from faith in the True and Living God.

One great result of joy is contentment, and contentment is frequently mistaken for happiness by an unfocused and ignorant world.

Perhaps we should think about what we have in the joy that is ours in Christ the Lord.