Isaiah chapter 9. At the end of the previous chapter,
there was nothing but darkness and judgment. Look in verse 22
of chapter 8. And they shall look unto the
earth and behold trouble. Trouble and darkness. That's
all that you'll see on this earth. Trouble and darkness. Turn the
news on. Trouble and darkness. dimness, dimness of anguish,
people in pain, suffering, and they shall be driven to darkness.
But in chapter nine, we see God remembering mercy. The light of the gospel breaks the darkness and the people
who walked in darkness, it says, have seen a great light. It says
in verse 2 of chapter 9, that they have seen a great light
and that they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined. And in 3, it says he multiplied
the nations and he has increased the joy of the nations. And in
verse 4, it speaks of him breaking the yoke of the burden of the
oppressor and getting rid of that rod, breaking their rod
of oppression. And he speaks in verse five of
the warrior. He says, every battle of the
warriors with confused noise and garments rolled in blood,
but this shall be with burning and fire, burning and fuel of
fire. And what he's doing, he's going
to destroy all the weapons of war. He's going to burn them
up. It's going to cease. You know, it says in the Psalms,
he maketh wars to cease until the end of the earth. If God
did not make wars to cease, they wouldn't cease, but he makes
them to cease. Now, how are these blessings
to come upon a people that's been walking in darkness and
been oppressed for so long? How's that going to happen? He tells us how it's going to
happen in verse six. For unto us, us, a child is born. All of God's blessings to his
people rest upon this child that's to be born. Well, here it says
is born. If you'll notice something, this
speaks in the past tense. I'll say something about that
in a minute. But this child, is a special child, a special
child. This child will be born of a
virgin. Look over in chapter 7, look
back in chapter 7 of Isaiah. In verse 14 of chapter 7 of Isaiah,
therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold, a virgin
shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel,
which means God with us. It could easily have been written
God against us. God has every reason to be against
me. I've given him every reason to
be against me. But this child's name shall be
called Immanuel, God with us. And Isaiah speaks of this child
in chapter 23. He calls him a tender plant. A tender plant. This child is none other than
the incarnate God of heaven and earth. This child is God Almighty
in the flesh. This is the Son of Man and the
Son of God. That's who he is, that's who
this child is. And unto us a son is given. The child is born,
but the son is given. He's given, given by God, given
by the grace of God, he's given. The one has a beginning, the
other one does not. The one was created in the womb
of a virgin, The other one has no beginning of days nor end
of life at all. He's the eternal one. Here's
the mystery. The child born and the son given
is one undivided person, Jesus Christ. He's one undivided person,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to 1 Timothy 3.16. And without controversy, without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. God appeared in the flesh. justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, and received up the glory." God was manifest, Paul's saying
to Timothy, in the flesh. In John 1, 1, in the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word, in verse 14, and the Word was made flesh. He took not on him the nature
of angels, but they took on him the seed of Abraham. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. He walked among us. God walked
among us in the flesh as one of us, except he knew no sin. He knew no sin. And John says,
we beheld his glory, the glory of his person. We beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth. He is the embodiment of grace
and truth. Notice how the scriptures I already
mentioned speak as if He were already born. This is back in
Isaiah's day. Hundreds of years before this
happened. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. It speaks as if it's already
done. With God it is. With God it is. In the purpose
and mind of God it's done. like Christ being the lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. It's done, as far as God's
concerned. With God, all things are done,
finished. You and I must experience them
in their appointed time, but the end and the beginning,
the beginning and the end with God is already done. It's already
before you. He speaks as if it's already
done because with Him it is. And it says here, unto us, this
child is born unto us or for us. He's born for us. This child is born for a people.
This child is born to represent a people chosen of God for us. It doesn't just say a child is
born and a son is given. It's us, for us. It's for us. The ones God chose are sinners,
they are ungodly, they're the most unlikely people. They are
the most unlikely people chosen. If you were gonna, without knowing
what you know, If you were going to say that God was going to
choose a people, you wouldn't pick the ones He chose. You would
not pick... You wouldn't pick a publican
and a harlot, would you? You wouldn't pick Rahab. And she's
in the genealogy of our Lord. She's in the genealogy of...
Ruth! She's in Moabite. She's in the genealogy of our
Lord. You know, the Moabite tribe came about by an incestuous relationship. Lot and his daughter, that's
where the Moabites came from. He identified himself with the
chief of sinners right from the start. Right from the start. He chose the most unlikely people
to save. People like me and you. This child will be their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
redemption. This child will be their prophet,
priest, and king. He'll be everything they need.
He'll be their all in all. And we'll see this in the names
He's given. Now, the first name He's given
is this, wonderful. Now, when you really see Him
and you understand something of who He is, you will be careful
from now on how you use that word wonderful. We use it just
like, oh, whoa, wasn't that just wonderful? Well, compared to
Him, it wasn't. His name is wonderful. And I try, I do, I try to be
careful not to use that for any other thing but His name, because
God said it's His name. He's wonderful in His person.
Is there anybody else like Him? Of all the people that's been
born onto this earth, is there anyone like Jesus Christ? None. Absolutely none. He's God. He's God. He's wonderful in the work of
redemption. He accomplished our redemption. It's finished. It's finished. We have nothing
left to do. There's nothing left to be done. It's finished. He
has redeemed us from our sins. They are completely gone. In
Christ, I have no sin. He put them all away. He put them all away. His love is wonderful. Having loved his own, It says,
he loved them to the end, all the way to the cross, all the
way, he cried, it's finished. He loved them to the end. His
love never wavered. Isaiah said in one place, will
a mother forget her sucking child? You know what the answer is? Isaiah said, yes, she will. Yes,
she will. She abandoned her child. But
God's love never diminishes. It never wavers. It's the same
as always. It's an everlasting love. And
there's nothing that I will ever do in my life that'll make God
love me less. You know, there's only one way
God can love, and that's perfectly, that's perfectly. He can only
love me with all that He is. Scripture says God is love. He
can only love me with all that he is. He cannot love me less. Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. That a man would lay down his
life, give everything up, and die for his friends. And then He's wonderful in all
His doings. The Scripture says He went about doing good. He did nothing but good. He never sinned. He never had
a thought of sin, a word of sin, or a deed of sin. And everything
He did, He stamped good on it. He just stamped good on it. And
then the second name he's given is counselor. That's become a
popular occupation in our day, be a counselor. I know, I don't wanna be a counselor.
Why do I know? Why do I, you follow, I don't
wanna be a counselor. I don't wanna set myself up as
a counselor. But our Lord, He is the counselor. He is the wisdom of God. He is pure wisdom. Christ is
the one who counsels us as we walk through this life. He counsels
His people. He directs His people. I couldn't
tell you over the years, sitting under Henry, how many times something's
been on my mind And it got answered in the message. It would get
answered. I'd have direction. I'd get direction
through the word of God, through the preaching of the word, through
the preaching of the gospel, I got direction. That's the Lord
counseling. You may not realize it. I know
we don't realize it when we come in here every week, but every
week you come in here, you're being counseled. The Lord's counseling
you. He's counseling you. He stands as our counselor in
the covenant of grace. And he stands as our counselor,
our mediator, our counselor at the bar of justice. I don't answer
for myself there. He does. He does. He does the answering.
Jesus Christ is the wisdom that God puts in the inward parts
that David spoke of in Psalm 51. He is that wisdom that God
puts in the inward parts in that new creation. Listen to Psalm
16, verse seven. I will bless the Lord who has
given me counsel. Here's good counsel. Let me give
you, from the word of God, here's a good counsel. Come unto me,
all you that labor, heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Isn't that
good counsel? That's good counsel. He that
cometh to me, I'll know why he's cast out. Come to me. Come to
me. That's good counsel. He says in Psalm 73, 24, thou
shalt guide me with thy counsel. And afterward, receive me to
glory, because that's what his counsel leads to. It leads to
glory. And then the third name, The third name of this child
that's born and son is given is this, the mighty God. The mighty God. While lying in a manger, while lying there in that manger,
in that cow stall, He never ceased to be God. You cannot even begin to comprehend
that. There lies that little child, that tender plant, that
tender plant that Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 53. You can step
on it and crush it, it's a tender plant. A baby, there he is, a
baby, a weak infant, an infant of days and the ancient of days
in the same person. What a mystery, what a person,
what a person. The mighty God, The child born
is the creator of all that is. There's that child in a manger
and everything, and everything that exists belongs to Him. Amazing. It's amazing. The Almighty God.
Can you imagine looking down at that manger and there's that
child, baby, and yet that is God Almighty? That gives you some idea of how
much God humbled himself to become a man. He humbled himself to come into
this world in the weakest form, a baby, a baby. He's the creator of all things.
Everything that was made, He made it. Listen to John chapter
one, verse three and four, I'll read them to you. All things
were made by Him. Even the manger He was laid in. The womb which God used to bring
Him into this world, He made it. He made his own mother. She's called the mother. She
called him his mother, Mary. We know the situation. We know
who she is. But all things were made by him
and without him was not anything made that was made. Nothing exists
that he didn't make. There sitting on the lap of Mary is Almighty God. Isn't that something? Almighty God. The one in whose
presence the mountains melt and the hills flee away is sitting
on her lap. Goodness. And because of who he is, the
mighty God, he cannot fail. He cannot fail. Brethren, it
truly is finished. It really is finished because
God finished it. He cannot fail. And then the
fourth name that's given to Him, given to this child born and
son given is the everlasting Father. Christ said to Philip here in
John 14, listen, Philip saith unto Him, Lord, Show us the Father. He says he's going to the Father.
He says, show us the Father. And it sufficeth us. That'll
be sufficient. Show us the Father. And Jesus
saith unto him, have I been so long time with you? And yet hast
thou not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen
the Father. You're looking at the Father.
You're looking at the Son. You're looking at the Spirit
of God. He that has seen me has seen
the Father. Now, how do you say this? Show
us the Father. The Trinity, the Father, Son,
Holy Spirit are never, ever separated. They're one. Christ says in John
17, we are one. I am the Father, the Father in
me, we are one. If you've seen one, you've seen
the other. Here's the fifth name, the Prince
of Peace. There is no real peace, no real
lasting peace without Jesus Christ. There's
none. I know we try to have, and we
seek peace in the world, and you'll get it temporarily for
a little while, but there's no real lasting peace apart from
Him. None. It says in Ephesians 2.14, for
he that is Christ is our peace. He's our peace with God. The peace I have, the reconciliation
I have between me and God is that man, Jesus Christ. He is our peace who hath made
both one, He made both Jew and Gentile
one. They were at odds. There'd probably
not been anyone lived on this earth that were at odds with
each other like the Jews and the Gentiles. But in Christ,
in Jesus Christ, if he saves a Jew, if he saves a Gentile,
they become one. They become one. Doesn't matter
what the nationality is. In Christ, every believer is
one. They're one. He said He broke
down that middle wall of partition between us. Christ said this,
John 16, He's not only our peace, but He gives us peace. These
things I've written, these things I've spoken unto you, that in
me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation.
But be of good cheer, I've overcome the world, but in me, In me you'll have peace. Do you go to bed at night with
some peace of mind? I go to bed at night with real
peace of mind because I know, I know that this whole world
is in his hands. That a dog can't even move its
tongue against me. without Him allowing it to. Can't
do it. Can't do it. And we'll see here in verse seven,
look. This speaks of the exaltation and reign of this child born
and son given. Of the increase of His government
and peace. There shall be no end. upon the throne of David and
upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies will perform this. This child
that is born is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. And God says here
in his word that his kingdom will have no end. of the increase
of His government, you think, we're just a small group here.
You know, the Scripture teaches us that when all this is over,
that in heaven there'll be a number that no man can number. No man
can number. And His kingdom is not going
to have an end. You go back in history and look at some of the
kingdoms that were strong some of the most dominating kingdoms
on this earth. Where are they now? Every kingdom on this earth is
going to come to an end. Every kingdom. But not his. Not his. It has no end. It's established in righteousness
and judgment. And he has the complete sovereign
reign over his kingdom. And I'm glad of that. I am absolutely
thrilled that Jesus Christ is the absolute sovereign over His
kingdom and over all kingdoms. They're all His. There's a place,
I believe it's in Daniel, it says, the kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. It all
belongs to Him. And nothing that offends will
enter into His kingdom. When this is all over and there's
a new heaven and a new earth, there will be no sin in it. There'll
be no wars, no fighting, no tears, no sorrow, no death, no death. I was walking away from the grave
of a friend, me and Henry. Henry said, I sure would be glad
when we quit dying. Well, there's coming a time when
we will quit dying. Won't do no more funerals. There'll
be no graves there at all. In his kingdom shall have no
boundaries. It has no boundaries. It has
no limits. Of the increase of his government,
there shall be no end. In peace, there'll be no end.
He will govern this world. He will govern his church according
to the will of God, his father. It says in Isaiah 45, I have
sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness
and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall swear. Surely shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. That's what we say
now, isn't it? That's what we say. Even to him
shall men come, and all that are incensed against him shall
be ashamed." Everyone's gonna bow to Jesus Christ. Every knee's
gonna bow to Jesus Christ. Sooner or later, willingly or
unwillingly, every knee's gonna bow to Jesus Christ. And they're
gonna confess Him to be Lord to the glory of God the Father. says in Acts 2, This Jesus hath
God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses, therefore being
by the right hand of God, that's where he's at now, exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,
he has shed forth this which you now see and hear. For David
is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself the Lord,
The Lord said unto my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make
thy enemies thy footstool. Of his government and peace there
shall be no end. It's in his hands. And all his
enemies gonna be made his footstool. Therefore, let all the house
of Israel know assuredly, without a doubt, that God hath made that
same Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Brethren, we have a great savior
and a great governor. We do, we do. And the peace of
His kingdom, He says, will have no need. God Himself. And I'll
close here. God Himself. We'll see to it. The zeal of the Lord of a few. It says host. Host. He's not Lord of a small army.
He's Lord of hosts. This is great news. How are the people who walked
in darkness, who've been under oppression, you've been oppressed
by sin and Satan, under the curse of the law, how are we gonna
be free from all this? Unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. And the government is on his
shoulders. What's going on out there right
now is not accidental. It's on purpose. It's on purpose. It's being guided, it's being
orchestrated by the Lord Jesus Christ, who's exalted and seated
at God's right hand. And He's my Lord and my Savior. And yours too, if you believe.
If you believe the gospel. My, my, my. What a message we
have to proclaim. What good news. I couldn't give
you any better news than I gave you this morning. I don't care
what tax breaks you got, it's still not this good. It still
ain't this good. Because they'll go back up. All
right.