So we're in Isaiah chapter 9,
and we're going to take the time to read the whole chapter together. Isaiah chapter 9, and we'll read
from verse 1. Nevertheless, The dimness shall
not be such as was in her vexation when at the first he lightly
afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali and
afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the
sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. The people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light They that dwell
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation,
and not increased the joy. They joy before thee according
to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide
the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke
of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder. the rod of his
oppressor as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior
is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood, but this shall
be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born,
and to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon
his shoulder. and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. 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 for ever. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. The Lord sent a word unto Jacob,
and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall know,
even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride
and stoutness of heart, the bricks are fallen down, but we will
build with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down, but
we will change them into cedars. Therefore the Lord shall set
up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together,
the Syrians before and the Philistines behind, and they shall devour
Israel with open mouth. For all this, his anger is not
turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. For the
people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they
seek the Lord of hosts. Therefore the Lord will cut off
from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient
and honourable, he is the head, and the prophet that teacheth
lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people
cause them to err, and they that are led of them are destroyed.
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither
shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows. For every one is
an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly.
For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still. For wickedness burneth as the
fire. It shall devour the briars and
thorns and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they
shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath
of the Lord of hosts as the land darkened, and the people shall
be as the fuel of the fire, no man shall spare his brother.
And he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry, and he shall
eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied. They
shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm. Manasseh, Ephraim,
and Ephraim, Manasseh, and they together shall be against Judah.
For all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still. Amen. May the Lord bless to us
this reading from his word. While admiring Isaiah's clear
and full and perceptive views of the Lord Jesus. we may be
tempted to move quickly to the familiar verses of this chapter
concerning the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and his coming into
the world, the verses that perhaps are quoted so frequently in carol
services and in churches at the time of their incarnation and
Christmas celebrations. We would do that thinking that
it's an easy place to see the Lord, and we might in our eagerness
be keen to, as it were, collect the low-hanging fruit that the
prophet provides for us. And of course, these verses are
familiar to us, being read often as they are in carol services
and printed in Christmas cards. But so too, the opening verses
of this chapter helpfully remind us that there is context here
with respect to these verses. And while we cannot pass them
because we're looking for the Lord in Isaiah, they nevertheless
teach us that there is context and context is important. And it is important for what
we have to say today. Isaiah's purpose, writing as
he does by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is to inform God's
remnant people that God will not jeopardise his covenant promises
to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob, or his prophecies to Moses
and to Job and to David. despite the fact that he is bringing
judgment upon the nations of Israel and Judah. Now it is true
that these nations, Israel and Judah, will be severely punished
for their idolatry and their rebellion and we read much of
this towards the end of the chapter with respect to the fact that
the Lord's hand is still outstretched because of the persistent rebellion
and wickedness that is evidenced in the lives of these nations.
Their idolatry, their abuses one against another. But the
Lord is saying to his people, to his elect, to his remnant,
to his little ones, his flock, that he will not forget his covenant
promises and that a remnant will be preserved And from that remnant
will come the Messiah that was promised so long ago. He whom
Isaiah calls the branch. In chapter 4 verse 2 a few weeks
ago we read, In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful
and glorious. and the fruit of the earth shall
be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it's these escapees, it is
these who are the remnant people, those that would be preserved
that Isaiah is principally writing to, to encourage and comfort
them that God's promises are not forgotten. And sometimes
as we read these verses, we notice that Isaiah is addressing different
people or different groups of people. Sometimes he's speaking
to nations. For example, Syria or Israel
or Judah or Assyria. Even Egypt, I think, on occasions
we've found already. Sometimes he's speaking to an
individual. like King Ahaz. But always, Isaiah's principal
audience is the remnant people, and we should remember this.
Always his purpose is to prepare the Lord's elect for what is
going soon to happen, that they may be comforted with reassurances
that the hard times coming won't last forever, but will come to
an end. And this is the sense of these
opening verses. It's true, there is darkness
and gloom all about, but it shall not last forever. And the prophet is very specific. He speaks about the people of
Galilee, long despised, stigmatized, brutalized. These people of Galilee,
will see the Messiah walk amongst them. They who walked long in
darkness, or mourning, or oppression, will see a great light, and the
light shall shine on them. Here is the prophet Isaiah telling
us, not only that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come, not
only how he will be born, Not only of the glory and the beauty
that will attach to his ministry, but the very places where he
will walk. In Zebulun, in Naphtali, in Galilee
of the nations. The Messiah would come to Galilee. And this light that Isaiah speaks
of is Christ himself. And we see that in Luke chapter
2 when Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, says of
Christ, he's speaking I think in verse 78 and 79, he says,
the day spring, which is the light The day spring from on
high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of
peace. And he is drawing on this prophecy
from Isaiah, recognising that this is what Isaiah was speaking
about. So that Christ is this light
shining in darkness. Initially in Galilee, or here
called Galilee of the Nations, which reminds us that while Christ
came first to the Jews, his purpose was always much wider than an
earthly kingdom amongst the Jewish people. Now that was long conceived
to be what Christ's kingdom would be like and even his disciples
struggled to lose that notion throughout the Lord's ministry
as we have seen at other times. but Christ's kingdom is a worldwide
kingdom of God's elect. A people redeemed by his blood
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. So that
the Lord Jesus himself tells us in John chapter 8 verse 12,
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. So coming
first to Galilee of the nations, but with this view to increase
and expand and carry this gospel message, this glorious gospel
that brings light into the souls of men and women and boys and
girls. and would be carried to the ends
of the earth by the Lord's apostles and the establishment of his
church. And Isaiah continues by pointing
out that this one who is coming will deliver his people as a
great warrior, fighting their battles, destroying their enemies
and setting them at liberty. And while many looked to the
Messiah to come as a conquering king, they longed for him when
Israel fought against them, they longed for them when Syria came
against them, when the Midianites or the Assyrians or the Babylonians
or ultimately the Romans What they did not grasp was that this
kingdom was a spiritual kingdom and that Christ would establish
a spiritual kingdom fighting their battles not on the high
ground and the terrain of Israel or in the walled cities of Jerusalem
and Samaria but rather on the cross itself. where our enemies,
the law, where Satan, where the flesh of man all rose against
the Lord Jesus Christ. So that when we do get to the
astonishing verses that speak so clearly from Isaiah verse
6 and 7 concerning the one who is coming, this warrior king,
this one who rolls his garments in blood, this one who will be
the Christ, the Messiah, who will take his message to the
ends of the earth and gather his kingdom. We note that it
is for the comfort of the Lord's elect that these things are said. The Lord Jesus Christ was coming
to the believers of Judah first, and then to the others beyond. And it is to these that the words
are here spoken. So that when we read in verses
six and seven, unto us a child is born unto us a son is given
the emphasis there is so often put upon the child that is born
and the son that is given without proper recognition given to the
fact that it was unto us that this child is born and unto us
that the son was given. It was to the elect, it was to
the remnant, it was to those that Isaiah was speaking to for
their personal, specific, distinct comforting through the years
of their tribulation. The coming of the Saviour was
not a new beginning or an alternative approach. It was the culmination
of centuries of waiting, of anticipation, of generations longing for, hoping
for, the promises that God had given to Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and Moses and David coming to fruition. Their faith had
been tested and God's spiritual people had been tried, almost
to the point of breaking. But unto us the son was given. Unto us the child was born. The carol that is sometimes sung
about the little town of Bethlehem, the child that would be born
in that little town of Bethlehem, we think of it as being born
to us and to them that believe and to them that are called.
Christ is the power of God. Christ is the wisdom of God.
And that is the sense in which the phrase from that little carol,
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
It was the hopes and fears of the remnant, the hopes and fears
of the elect, the hopes and fears of the lords, people through
all those dark years that found their culmination, found their
focus, found their true meaning in the birth of the Lord Jesus
Christ. So when we speak of Christ being
wonderful in these verses six and seven, he is wonderful to
us who believe he is wonderful. I don't want to deny anyone their
Christmas festivities. But the Lord Jesus Christ is
not yours unless he is wonderful to you. The Lord Jesus Christ
is not yours unless he is counsellor to you. Unless he is your wisdom. If Christ is not made unto us
wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
we are none of his. We are neither in him nor of
him. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
yours until you see and acknowledge him as the mighty God. He's not yours until he is your
spiritual father. and you have been born again
into his family. He's not yours if you have not
the peace that he alone as Prince of Peace can give. And so there are many who take
these verses and adopt these verses and embrace them as being
for them. When the Lord tells his people
through his prophet Isaiah It is unto us that the son is given. It is unto us that the child
is born. But if Christ is wonderful to
us, if Christ is our wisdom and our counsellor, If He is our
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace to us, then
we are blessed indeed, because it is unto us that this child
is born, and it is unto us that this Son is given. He is ours,
and we are His, and all He has done is for our eternal benefit,
as well as our temporal good. And nor can we doubt this, because
He is wonderful and He does wonderful things for us. He has done wonderful
things and continues to do wonderful things for His people, those
who are the apple of His eye, those who are His flock, His
treasured possession. He makes us wise unto salvation. He is mighty to save, and He
holds our hand, and He will not let us go. He tells us in 2 Corinthians
6, in verse 18, I will receive you and will be a father unto
you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty. and we shall know peace in this
world and in the next because to know Christ is to know the
Prince of Peace. And I admire the way that Isaiah
speaks of Christ in terms and terminology that is appropriate
to the needs of the remnant people of his day. Remember he had an
audience in view, he had a people in mind that he was writing to. And while this is inspired by
the Holy Spirit, yet there is a relevance even in the very
language and in the pictures and the metaphors, the way in
which the phraseology and the descriptions are given. He was writing to the people
of his day and he was writing to all men and women of spiritual
need in all ages. But he links the need of the
elect remnant to the attributes of the Saviour. He speaks of
his shoulder. He speaks of his name. He speaks
of his government and his kingdom. This child that was born, this
son that was given, it would be Christ's shoulder that these
people would lean upon. It would be Christ's name that
would reveal the various attributes of his character and his accomplishments. It was Christ's government that
would rule and reign in the midst of the anarchic circumstances
of the lives of this remnant people. And it was Christ's kingdom
that would endure forever. King Ahaz of Judah wanted to
lean on Assyria's shoulder for support. but Christ will have
us lean on his shoulder. He is the shepherd that lays
his lambs on his shoulder and carries them home to safety. And our strength, our ability
to make that journey from here to heaven is not in our own might,
it's not in our own wisdom. He shall direct our paths. Not by might, nor by power, but
by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. And again, when we
think about his name, his name is wonderful. No other name is
wonderful. His name is counsellor. No other
name is counsellor. He is the one exclusively. He
alone is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. Ahaz stooped
to idolatry. He stooped to gain and obtain
the pleasure of men. But the elect remnant were confirmed
in their dedication to Christ alone. And Christ alone is the
Prince of Peace. When we were enemies, when we
were alienated, then we were reconciled to God by the death
of his son. I think we said it earlier, neither
is there salvation in any other for there is none other name
under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved. So it is Christ alone in this
great work of his name that speaks to us of these living truths. And Isaiah speaks of his government,
Christ's government. And it's brought forward to the
people of Isaiah's day because this child that had been given
is himself Almighty God who created all things, who upholds all things,
and by whom all things subsist. You know, it's when we read verses
like these and simply pause on them and dwell on them for a
moment or two, that we see the true dimensions of what the Holy
Spirit actually says to the people of God with respect to their
safety and security in Christ. And we see the futility of worrying
and the foolishness of doubting when it is Christ who governs
all things. But it's our weak flesh that
drags us down to doubt and to fear and the temptations of this
world. But every circumstance, every
providence, every leaf that falls, every breath, every plant, every
animal, every inanimate object, from the swirling galaxies in
space to the rainy days and Mondays, are governed by the governor
whose governance is wonderful. Did the remnant people fear the
Assyrians at the gates of Jerusalem? Did they worry during the Babylonian
captivity Did they lament the silence of God for 400 years
when there was no prophet spoke in the land? Isaiah says, easy, easy. He says to the people, be patient. He says, a child shall be born. and of his government there shall
be no end. Can we believe that? Shall we
believe it? I think we ought to believe it.
And Isaiah speaks of his kingdom. He speaks of his shoulder, he
speaks of his name, he speaks of his government, and he speaks
of his kingdom. And he says that his kingdom
is ordered and established with judgment and with justice. This is a beautiful picture of
the way in which the Lord Jesus Christ has secured the salvation
of his people. This was no mere passing over of sin or gratuitous
benevolence on the part of God. God dealt with our sin in the
person of Jesus Christ. This son who was given, this
child that was born, he established his kingdom with judgment and
justice. He bore our judgment. in his own body in the tree.
He stood before the very justice and holiness of God and he has
vindicated God's holiness and he has established God's justice
and he has enabled God's mercy and grace by the sacrifice that
he made. This is what it means that his
kingdom is ordered. We are the kingdom of God. We
are the kingdom of Christ. And it is an ordered kingdom
and an established kingdom because its footing and its foundation
is upon the work of Christ. The ancient kingdom of Judah
seemed to be slipping into oblivion, like the nations around about.
These empires rose and simply gobbled up all the little nations
around about them, of which Judah and Israel were two. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall,
but not this one. Not this one. Not the kingdom
of God. Not the church of Jesus Christ. Not the kingdom populated by
the elect of God, the beloved of God, the saved and secured,
the blood-bought people, the glorified of God. Not that kingdom. Isaiah touched all the buttons
of these troubled saints. Now long gone, long dead, long
passed into eternity, this remnant people, these elect brothers
and sisters of ours in Christ who lived so long ago in the
days of Isaiah and in the subsequent centuries. But those same people, even today,
they watch you and me from their vantage point in heaven. and they call on us, this great
crowd of witnesses, they call on us to trust the Lord and await
the glorious consummation of all things just as they waited
for the coming of Christ. We wait for his second coming
when we shall join them in the presence of Christ the King in
his kingdom. And let me finish today with
a point that I touched on a little in our introduction yesterday. Isaiah faithfully brought God's
message. He spoke of judgment and he spoke
of salvation. He warned of God's wrath and
he preached the way of life and peace that would be found in
Christ. He preached God's holiness and
love, justice and grace. He showed how punishment and
mercy coexist side by side in the Lord's dealings with fallen
men and women. And as God's righteousness is
visited upon his enemies in judgment, his pity flows to his children
in love. And the final sections of this
chapter, chapter 9 of Isaiah, reminds us that wickedness shall
never go unnoticed of the Lord. There is a day of accountability
coming. Evil will not go unpunished. This is a warning to the world.
The hand of God is stretched out still displaying his purity
and his truth. And this message that Isaiah
preached of both the righteousness and the grace of God the holiness
and wrath of God and his mercy and love to his people. This
message was given to believers long ago from God by Isaiah and
that message of Christ's coming to exercise this ministry brought
them hope in the midst of their hopelessness. It spoke of peace
to those who were surrounded by their enemies. It gave courage
to a people gripped by fear. And the elect looked to God and
they looked to the Lord Jesus Christ. They looked to the coming
Prince of Peace and by faith they found comfort in trusting
in Him. and God's elect still look to
Jesus. And in doing so, they still experience
the peace that he has procured through the blood of his cross. Maybe you ask, how do I know
if I'm one of God's elect? How can I tell if I am under
God's wrath or under his mercy? How will I know if his blood
was shed for me? Exactly as these Old Testament
believers did. They trusted God's word. They rested on God's promises. And they looked to the Lord Jesus
Christ to be all their salvation. so that trusting and resting
and looking to Christ are evidences of God's grace in the life of
a sinner. And oh, brothers and sisters,
I know it's not a perfect trust. And I know that it is not an
undisturbed rest. And sadly it isn't even a steady
looking to Christ because this flesh, this old man and the trials
and tribulations of this world and the temptations of the devil
rise up against us and interfere frequently, as often as it can. but it is real faith nevertheless
that looks to Christ and rests on him and has him as a shoulder
and looks to his name and his governance and his kingdom as
our hope. That is the evidence of our election
just the same as it was to the men and women of Isaiah's day. Isaiah tells us that God's hand
was stretched out still in judgment, but that same hand is stretched
out still in mercy. And as the Lord Jesus gives us
eyes to see our own sin and unworthiness and need, to discern the enemies
that we have around about us in the world, in the flesh and
in the devil. Those enemies without and those
enemies within. So he lifts our eyes to see Christ
and he gives us faith sufficient to trust in him. Jesus Christ
doesn't change from the days of Isaiah to the days of his
pilgrimage on this world to these days in which we live. Jesus
Christ is the same today and forever more. He who comforted his people in
days long past comforts his people still. And the same hand-stretched
out still to judge is stretched out still to bless. Trust him,
he will do you good. May the Lord bless these thoughts
to us. Amen.