In verse 16 of Matthew chapter
four, the people which sat in darkness,
it does not say they were walking in darkness, it does not say
they were groping in the dark, looking for the light, they sat. in darkness, evidently satisfied
where they were. I've heard preachers present
humanity as having a hole in their heart that only God can
fill and desiring to have it filled, but not these people. They sat in the darkness. They were settled in the darkness. They like being there. They had
no problem with where they were at. They sat in the darkness. But look what it says with regard
to them. They saw great light. That's what I've entitled this
message. Great light. They saw great light, and to
them would set in the region and shadow of death." Light is sprung up. And I think that that's a veiled
reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Light is sprung
up, great light. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. And the Word was made flesh. and dwelt among us. And we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth." A real man, born of a virgin, but a real
man nonetheless. But a man without Adam's fallen
sinful nature, lived for 30 years in obscurity in the town of Nazareth. That town of which Nathaniel
said, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? In reality,
the only good thing came out of Nazareth. I love what the
Holy Spirit called the Lord Jesus Christ, that holy thing, as if
he couldn't I want to say this carefully, but it's almost as
if, what can you say? That holy thing, which is born
of thee shall be called the son of God. Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter,
lived 30 years working out a perfect righteousness for those 30 years
in Nazareth. And what I think is so interesting
is nobody got it. Nobody understood. Here is one
who was without sin and his brothers and sisters didn't know it. Before he enters his public ministry,
which would last some three and a half years before his crucifixion,
Matthew chapter four, verse one, then was Jesus led up of the
spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This is the time he was tried. As we saw last week, Satan failed,
Christ could not sin, and he proved himself to be that one
of whom God said, behold, I lay in Zion. A foundation, a stone,
a tried stone, and how he was tried by the devil, and he utterly
defeated the devil. A precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation. He that believeth shall not make
haste. Isaiah 28 verse 16. And he's now ready for his public
ministry. Now I would have set his public
ministry in Jerusalem. Wouldn't you? Jerusalem, the
capital of religion. The place where all the people
are, the place where the temple was. I would have started this
in Jerusalem, but not the Lord. He went to Galilee, a poor, impoverished
place filled with Gentiles, called in our text, Galilee of the Gentiles. That's why it was so despised. And he did this because the scriptures
said he would do this. If you read Isaiah chapter nine,
verses one and two, this is what Isaiah tells us he would do. He would go to Galilee and he
would be in this region beginning in verse 12. Now, when Jesus
had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed. into Galilee. He left Nazareth,
his hometown, and he departed into Galilee. Being a real man,
when he heard what happened to John, whom he loved, he was cast
into prison. He knew he would soon be beheaded. He departed, leaving Nazareth
to go to the land of Galilee and dwelt in the town of Capernaum.
Do you remember when he said with regard to this town Capernaum,
thou Capernaum, you've been exalted to heaven because I've been here.
You'll be thrust down to hell. If the mighty works had been
done in you that had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes, but they didn't do
it. This place where he performed his first miracle, Capernaum.
Now look in verse 13. And leaving Nazareth, he came
and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast in the borders
of Zebulun and Naphtali. Why? That it might be fulfilled,
which was spoken by Isaiah, the prophet. You know, I love the
way everything he did, he did that it might be fulfilled, which
was spoken by the prophet. That could be said of every action
of his. He was fulfilling what the prophet
said he would do to the most minute detail. Verse 15, the
land of Zebulun, Nephilim or Naphtali by the way of sea beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. Now, this is what people had
against Galilee. Why would anybody want to go
to Galilee? There's nothing but Gentiles there. That's where
the Lord chose to go to do most of his public ministry. Galilee of the Gentiles. He left
Nazareth, that place where no good thing could come from is
what Nathanael said. He goes to Galilee of the Gentiles,
the place nobody would go to because who was there? The Gentiles. In verse 16, the people would
sat in darkness. Now I think it's very significant.
It said they sat in darkness. It didn't say they were walking
around in the dark, groping, trying to find the way. They
had sat down in the darkness, satisfied with the darkness. They weren't looking for anything
else. They were satisfied just where they were. They were quite at home in the
darkness. Now turn with me for a moment
to John chapter three, hold your finger there in Matthew and turn
to John chapter three. Verse 18. He that believeth on him is not
condemned. Do you hear that? If you believe on Christ, you
are not condemned. There is therefore now, right
now, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. You are in a state of justification
before God. You stand without guilt. There's
nothing to condemn you for. That's why you're not condemned.
He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth
not is condemned already. Because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation. That light is coming to the world. And men, what? Loved darkness. Rather than light. Because their
deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light. They were setting
in the darkness, weren't they? They didn't want to come to the
light. Lest his deeds should be reproved, but he that doeth
truth. And that's what believing the gospel is, is the doing of
truth. He cometh to the light that his deeds might be made
manifest, that they're wrought in God, wrought by God, done
by God. I'm not ashamed of anything he's
done. I'll bring that to the light. That is my righteousness
before God. Now these people loved darkness. Now this speaks
of the blindness, the spiritual blindness of the natural man.
We're born this way, born into this world. spiritually blind,
and in darkness we will sit and remain unless light comes to
us. I love the hymn enwrapped in
thick Egyptian night and fond of darkness more than light. Madly I ran this sinful race
secure without a hiding place, but thus the eternal counsel
ran, Almighty love, arrest that man. I felt the arrow of distress
and found I had no hiding place. Back to Matthew chapter four,
verse 16. The people which sat in darkness
saw great light. To them which sat in the region
and shadow of death, light is sprung up. Great light. Now, I love John chapter one,
verse four. It says, in him was life. Not like the life you and I have.
We're talking about independent life, the life of God, him that
liveth. That's his life. In Him was life. And the life,
His life, was the light of men. Now this is that great light.
The only light I have as to how God will accept me is if I have
His life as my life before God. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Now He is that life. I love John chapter 8 verse 12. Then Jesus said unto them, I
am the light of the world. Now why did he say that? Do you
know the story of that woman taken in adultery in the very
act? There was no question with regard
to her guilt. They caught her in the very act.
They bring her to the Lord. This woman was taken in adultery
in the very act. There's no question with regard
to her guilt. The law says stoner. And you
think about what sorrow the sin of adultery
has brought into this world. How many lives it's wrecked. How wicked this sin is. And there's no putting this under
the rug. It's a horrible sin. And she
was caught. Now the law says stoner and that's
what she deserves. What sayest thou? They thought
they had him trapped. You talk about mercy. If you
say let her go, you're despising God's holy law. If you say stoner,
we can say, where's your mercy? And then the Lord stooped down,
the scripture says, and wrote in the sand. And I realize there's
been so much speculation of what he might have been writing, but
here's my guess. There's only two times that God
wrote. Number one, the commandments.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Number two, what he said to Belshazzar. The wicked king, thou art weighed
in the balances. Remember, he saw that writing
on the wall. Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting.
Now, they kept questioning, then he stood up and said to them,
he that's without sin among you. And I have no doubt he's talking
about this sin. He that's without sin among you,
let him cast the first stone. And then he stooped back down
again. And what does the scripture say
they did? Being convicted by their own consciences, they left
him, beginning with the oldest. Now, if they would have been
convicted by the Holy Spirit, where would they have come? They would
have come to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy,
but they were convicted by their own conscience. And they left
him and the woman was left alone with the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he said, woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned
thee? She said, no man, Lord. He said,
neither do I condemn thee. Now, how could he say that if
she was guilty? The fact of the matter is, is he took away her
sins and she didn't have anything to be condemned for. That's why
he said, neither do I condemn you. There's nothing to condemn
her for. Her sins were put away by the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And he could look
at this woman and say, there's nothing to condemn you for. Go and sin no more. Now, I am the light as to how
that can be. How that woman can be caught
in the very act and yet I don't condemn her because there's nothing
to condemn her for. This is the great mystery of
the Gospel. This is the message of Scripture. How God can be
just through what the Lord Jesus Christ did and justify somebody
like that woman, somebody like me and you. This is the mystery
of the Gospel. I am the light of the world. Now, let's go to Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah chapter 9. Now this was written 700 years
before this took place. That would be like there being
a prophecy made in the year 1325. That was before the Protestant
Reformation. That was in the Dark Ages. That
was before the Renaissance. that was so long ago and just
happening today when it was prophesied in 1325. This was prophesied
700 years before it took place. Now let's look and see what Isaiah
says. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 1, nevertheless, the dimness, so little light in dimness. shall not be as was in her vexation
when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali. That's what we're reading about
in our text. And afterward did more grievously affect her by
the way of the sea beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nations. The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. that
dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined." And that is exactly what we read about. Now let's
go on reading. He tells us what took place. Thou hast multiplied the nations
and not increased the joy. They joy therefore that the joy
before thee according to the joy in harvest and As men rejoice
when they divide this foil, for thou hast broken the yoke of
his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, and the rod of
his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of
the warriors with confused noise and garments rolled in blood,
but this shall be with a burning and a fuel of fire." Now he's
talking about what took place then. But he goes on to say,
and here's this light. For unto us, verse six, unto
us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Now the child's born,
the son is given. The child speaks of the incarnation
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the real manhood of Christ. The son
is his eternal sonship. He wasn't born, he was given. And to us, a child is born and
to us, a son is given and the government should be upon his
shoulder. His name should be called Wonderful,
Counselor, 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,
with justice from henceforth even forever, the zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this." Now, this is the light of the
world. This is the light that was in
this dark region. The Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the first thing I have to
ask when it says unto us a child is born and to us a son is given,
we have to answer the question, who's meant by us? Who's meant
by us? If we don't have that, it could
be meaningless. If He means unto us, if He means everybody without
exception, and some of those people included in that group
go to hell, and some of those people included in that group
go to heaven, that makes it all meaningless. Who is meant by
the us? I love I never will forget, this
is back in the late 80s, Henry Mahan was preaching at American
Avenue Baptist Church, where we were before we came here.
And he preached a message entitled, Four Questions for Thoughtful
People. And he said, if God loves all men the same, and some are
saved and some are lost, If God wills the salvation of all men
the same, some are saved, some are lost. If Jesus Christ died
for the sins of all men the same, and some of them are saved, some
of them are lost, if God the Holy Spirit calls all men the
same, some of them are saved, some of them are lost, then if
that's the case, what's God's will have to do with salvation?
Nothing. What's the love of God have to
do with salvation? Nothing. What's the blood of Christ have
to do with salvation? Nothing. What does God the Holy
Spirit have to do with salvation? Nothing if he loves all men the
same. The difference is not his love, not his will, not his purpose,
not the blood of Christ. The difference is what one did
that the other did not do. In other words, salvation is
by works. That's how important this issue
of who is the us. We got to deal with that every
time because if we don't, We're darkening counsel with words
without knowledge if we just say, well, this means everybody.
Who is the us? Well, they're the ones the son
was given to. Unto us, the son is given. Unto us, a child is born. And
this us is the ones who are given to the son. All that the father
giveth me. shall come to me. And him that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Now let me, I don't
want to try to prove election. It's just so obvious in the Word
of God. But I want to ask you the question,
do you need to be elected? Do you know if you're not elected
by God, you'll never be saved? You know yourself enough to know
that you can't make a move toward God, you're so sinful. You must
have Him choose You must have Jesus Christ pay for your sins. You must have God the Holy Spirit
give you life in order for you to persevere. Who is the us? The us is the elect. And I know
this about election. The elect know they need to be
elect. They don't argue against it. They know if there's no election,
they won't be saved. So the us is God's elect. Unto us, a child is born. Unto us, A son is given. Now the child born speaks of
the real humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I have never
described his humanity the way his humanity ought to be described,
but it's the man Christ Jesus who is touched by the feeling
of our infirmities. That's what the scripture says.
He was in all points tempted like as we, yet without sin. And I don't know how to say this,
but Jesus Christ is so much man that it's just like he was not
God at all. That is how much man he is, the
man Christ Jesus. It was the man who said to this
woman, the man who is the light of the world, neither do I condemn
you. You see, he had to be a man for
him to be able to say that to that woman, because he had to
take her sins in his own body on the tree and put it away.
Man's sin, man must die. He took that sin in his own body
and put it away. Let his deity obscure his humanity
to you. I think the verse of scripture
that most powerfully speaks of the manhood, the humanity of
the Lord Jesus Christ is the shortest verse in the Bible. Two words, Jesus wept. I've heard so many explanations
to that and I'm afraid to give any because I think anything
I would say would fall short. But I know this, because of His
manhood, Jesus wept. Now think about that. There's
one God, one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus. That is the child that was born. The Son given is eternal God. This is the great light as to
how He can say to that woman, I don't condemn you because of
who He is. This is the issue, who Jesus
Christ is. He's fully man, just as much
as if He were not God at all. He's fully God, just as much
as if He were not man at all. That is this glorious person
and he's the one who is that great light that shows us how
God can embrace me and you. Unto us a child is born. Unto
us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Now, the government is His reign
and rule as sovereign God. The government, everything that
takes place is on His shoulder. It was He who created the universe. It's He who controls everything
that's going on right now. By Him, all things consist. He is the sovereign of salvation. If you're saved, If I'm saved,
here's the one singular reason, He willed your salvation. And
He did everything that was needed for you to be saved. Why? Because
the government was upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called
Wonderful. I have no doubt that we use that
word far too loosely. How was your meal? Wonderful.
Wonderful? Well, his name is wonderful. He's wonderful in his person. Wonder. Wonder. He's wonderful
in his incarnation when he became flesh. He's wonderful in his
life when he worked out a perfect righteousness. Obeying God's
law perfectly, never having a sinful thought, never having a sinful
motive. He's the only one who loved God
with all of his heart and all of his soul and all of his strength.
He's the only one who loved his neighbors himself. Wonderful.
He's wonderful in his death. Wonderful in the fact that he
died in the first place. That mystifies me. Wonderful
in the accomplishments of his death. He accomplished the complete
salvation of his people. Wonderful in his resurrection.
Raised from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. Is that not wonderful? Wonderful
in his ascension back to the Father. Wonderful in his intercession,
representing us as this great high priest. And oh, how wonderful
he'll be in his return. Wonderful. There's only one person
that word really describes. The Lord Jesus Christ. None of
us are wonderful. I mean, he's a wonderful person.
Well, he's flesh. He's flesh. I mean, I'm thankful
for men. I love men. But all men have feet of clay,
don't they? He is wonderful. And the next thing it says about
him, he's counselor, the wonderful counselor. And let me remind
you that the word counselor here is not a noun, it's a verb, a
counselor. There are human counselors and
people, they give you advice. If you don't know how to get
out of a certain situation, some can give you good advice. They
have their place, but that's not the kind of counselor he's
talking about. This is what he's talking about. My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Oh, his counsel. He works all
things after the counsel of his own will. He's the wonderful
counselor. counselor. Don't you love that
scripture in Acts chapter four, verse 27, where it says, for
the truth against thy child Jesus, whom thou has enwound in both
Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of
Israel were gathered together to do whatsoever thy hand and
thy counsel determined before to be done. Oh, great light unto
us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government shall
be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor. And what next? The Mighty God. The Wonderful Counselor is nobody
less than the Mighty God. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is anything too hard for the wonderful counselor? He has
the ability to make the way to say to this woman, I don't condemn
you. How can he do that? Because he's
the mighty God. Now look at next in verse six. He's also called the everlasting
father. The Son is not the Father, and
the Father is not the Son. Remember the scripture says,
in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God as
a distinct person, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. But when Philip said, Lord, show
us the Father, and we'll be satisfied. He said, Philip, I've been so
long with you, and yet thou hast not known me. He that hath seen
me hath seen the Father. All we'll ever see of the Father
is the Son. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him. I have no problem at all. I don't
know how to explain it as it ought to be explained. I don't
feel a need to. It says He shall be called the
everlasting Father. That speaks of the glory and
the greatness and the majesty of his person. He didn't say,
he that seen me is just as if he seen the father. He said,
he that seen me has seen the father. His name shall be called
the everlasting father. Go on reading verse six. He shall be called the prince
of peace. This one who's mighty God, this
one who's everlasting father, he's the prince of peace. Colossians 1.20 says, having
made peace. Now, every one of us, I believe,
know something about what it is to feel the struggle that
sin brings, that you make it, it makes you feel separated.
It makes you feel at a distance. It makes you feel far away. And it takes away your peace. Now, you know, even when you feel that way, that doesn't take away God's
peace with you in the gospel. He made peace by the blood of
His cross. He was delivered for our offenses.
He was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
His death, His resurrection accomplished my peace. By faith, we have peace
with God. I love the scripture, the kingdom
of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and
joy in the Holy Ghost. Now this righteousness is his
righteousness, it's his life. It can't be added to, it can't
be diminished. That is the righteousness every
single believer possesses. And we only know that by faith,
but it's the truth. Every believer is the righteousness
of God in him. he is the prince of peace. Verse 7, of the increase of his government
and peace, his sovereignty, that's his government, his sovereignty,
and the peace we have because of his sovereignty. He's in absolute
control of everything and everybody What peace? There's nothing to
worry about because everything is all happening according to
His will. We are so stupid when we worry. He's sovereign. He's sovereign. We worry. How come? Because we're sinful.
It's unbelief is all it is. The increase of His government
peace, there should be no end. Upon the throne of David, And
upon his kingdom, don't you love to think of the Lord Jesus Christ
sitting on the throne of David? David's son and David's Lord
sat down at the right hand of the father. This is who this
is sitting on the throne of David and upon his kingdom. Remember
he said, my kingdom is not of this world. If it were my servants
would fight that I wouldn't be delivered hence, but my kingdom
is not from hence. upon His Kingdom to order it
and to establish it with, look at this, judgment and with justice
from henceforth even forever. Now listen to this, when I stand
before God on judgment day, God's holy law is going to call for
my salvation. He never broke me. Justice and judgment. You see, the gospel is a righteous
thing. It honors the righteousness of
God. It honors the justice of God.
Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. I love
the way this is spoken. Upon His kingdom to order it
and establish with judgment and justice from henceforth even
forever, eternally, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform
this. This is why this is all gonna be so. The zeal, remember
what it said about Christ? The zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up. This is speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The reason all this is gonna happen is because
he's gonna perform it. It's all accomplished. Now that
is the light. That is the great light in this
dirty town of Galilee, in Capernaum. They didn't realize it. Some
of them did though, and I hope some of us do. We see him as
that great light. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that you
perform all these things for us And Lord, give us the grace
to rest in you and give us the grace to understand that your
love to us constrains us, that we should not live unto ourselves,
but unto him that died for us and was raised for us, accomplishing
our salvation. Lord, bless this message for
your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray.