Waiting for the King (Christmas): During an era of darkness, God promised the birth of a son who would become a king — but not just any king. He would bring joy and peace. He would be the light of the world. And he would reign over the kingdom of God forever and ever. Even in deep darkness, there was hope. Hosanna! Lord, save us! Recorded on Dec 22, 2024, on Isaiah 9:1-6 by Pastor David Parks.
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Sermon Transcript
So, we’re taking a little break from our Exodus series for Christmas. During this Advent season, we’ve said that advent comes from the Latin for “arrival” and reminds us that the people of Israel had waited for generations for the coming of the promised Messianic King — a promise fulfilled in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. But just as God’s people waited for the first advent of Christ, so today, we await the second advent in the return of Christ. In our Christmas mini-series, Waiting for the King, we’ll focus on the light of the promise of the first advent during a time of great darkness for the people of God. During our Candlelight Christmas Eve service on Tuesday at 4:30, we’ll tell the story of the birth of Jesus. Then, next week, we’ll focus on the hope of the promise of the second advent and the return of Christ. Salvation has come in Jesus’ name. Love, joy, and peace have come in Jesus’ name. But today, we’re still waiting for the King and his return, which will mark the end of this age and the beginning of the next. Now, I don’t know about you, but the darkness of this time of year really affects me. Yesterday was the winter solstice, which means it was the shortest and darkest day of the year. I had a great day yesterday, but when it’s dark out or if it’s grey and rainy, I can’t help but feel a little dark or grey and rainy. Have you ever felt that way? Or have you ever woken up and it was just this brilliantly bright sunny day, and you felt more hopeful about your day or week (or life)? It’s funny how that works. In the passage, we’re going to consider today, God’s people were in a time of darkness. It wasn’t just the winter solstice. Every day from now until June will get brighter and brighter for us. But they couldn’t just wait a few months for more sun and better weather. They were in a time of destruction and death. They were under attack from much stronger enemies. This was a time of exile. They need to be saved. But hope seemed to be all but gone. The faithful ones cried out, “Hosanna!” which means, “Lord save us!” They needed to be rescued yet again. They needed light in the darkness. But even though they had brought all this destruction and death on themselves, the Lord God Almighty is a gracious God, abounding in love. As we’ve seen over and over in the Exodus story, Yahweh is good and faithful, even when the people stumble and grumble and quarrel with God. Today, we’ll see the good promise of God for a people walking in darkness. And the promise centers on a child who would be born who would become a king. But who was this king, what would he do, and why is this still good news for us today? If you have your Bible/app, please open it to Isaiah 9:1.
Isaiah 9:1–2 (NIV), “1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” During the time of King David, around 1000 BC, the kingdom of Israel was united and had peace. Unfortunately, that peace didn’t last long. After David and his son Solomon reigned, the kingdom split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. This lasted about 200 years until the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, and many people, especially in the northernmost tribal areas of Zebulun and Naphtali, were either killed or taken into exile in Assyria. Isaiah refers to this when he says, “In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali…” But the prophet says there is hope. “…there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…in the future [God] will honor Galilee of the nations.” Why? Because “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah’s time was a whole era of darkness. God’s people were experiencing the consequences of their generational unfaithfulness to God and their failure to obey the two greatest commandments to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love their neighbor as themself. Last week, we saw what God wanted in a relationship with Israel. He wanted them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, to represent him to the world and to be his treasured possession. But all the dysfunctional intrigue and infighting, the betrayals and power-grabs of the divided kingdom led up to the slow-motion car accident of the Assyrian exile. The defeat, destruction, and exile of Israel happened right in the middle of Isaiah’s 40-year ministry as a prophet in Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah. Imagine living in Judah during this time. Think of the fear and uncertainty. The evil empire was knocking at the door. Judah probably felt like a little bug compared to Assyria. Sadly, Judah, too, would fall, not to the Assyrians, but to the Babylonian Empire, but not for over 100 years after the ministry of Isaiah. This was an era of darkness and gloom. Where was the hope? Was there any hope, or would this be the end of the Exodus project? Had God failed to rescue/redeem a people for himself? God’s answer was “No. There was hope. A light would dawn on this land of deep darkness.” It would not always be like this. In other words, this was a season, not forever. This was a time of darkness, but it would come to an end, and the fortunes would be reversed. But how?
Isaiah 9:3-5 (NIV), “3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” God says through the prophet that the nation would grow and they would rejoice. They were mourning, but there would be joy once again! The kind of joy at the harvest, when you can sit back and see the fruit of all your work and know that you will be able to survive another year. The kind of joy of warriors who have won the battle and are dividing the plunder. Work is hard. And war is undoubtedly hard. But there can be a joy on the other side of a very difficult time, amen? Have you ever been through a tough season but were able to recover your joy on the other side? This is what it would feel like when this promised light would come. Isaiah refers to the “day of Midian’s defeat” from the book of Judges some 400-500 years earlier. This was when God raised up Gideon to lead only 300 warriors to defeat the much greater army of Midian. In the same way, God would again raise up a leader who would shatter the yoke that burdens his people. A yoke was a wooden beam that was placed on the shoulders of an oxen or other beast to control them. God says this yoke would be shattered/broken, and they would be free; they would have peace. And “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” Could this be true? Was this hope real? War and strife were all they’d known for generations. Could life be different? If so, how would God do this? Would he raise up another Gideon to defeat the enemy? Would he raise up another King David to unite the kingdom and bring peace once again?
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV), “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness 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. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” This is God’s word. Every year during Advent, I like to listen to Handel’s Messiah. It’s become a fun tradition for me. It’s a wonderful piece of music, but it also tells the Christmas story using Scripture from all over the Bible, including these two verses. The music that George Frideric Handel wrote for this passage just perfectly matches the joy that God promises for his people and the majesty/glory of God in accomplishing it. God would raise up another. Unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. And this child would have many names. Names that meant something, that reflected something of who he would be. He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This promised one, this messiah, would be wonderful, not a tyrant. He would be wise and would offer wise counsel. Second, he would be mighty, not weak. But (and here is where it gets a little unclear), was he going to be God, or was he going to do something that would reflect God’s strength? The language could go either way. But surely it wasn’t that a human being could also be God, right? That wasn’t possible, was it? Third, he would be everlasting, not temporary. Everlasting does sound more god-like, doesn’t it? But the fatherly help this one would provide wouldn’t be for a season; it would be forever. Fourth, he would be the Prince of Peace. His reign would bring peace. His presence would bring peace. His kingdom would be a kingdom of peace. The greatness of his reign and rule, the greatness of his peace, would never end. But it’s here that we discover that despite the exile, despite the people’s unfaithfulness to him, he hasn’t forgotten the promises he made to them in the past. God would do what he said he would do! Isaiah says this promised son would be of the line of David. This would be a true messianic king who would sit on David’s throne and establish and rule over his kingdom forever. The people couldn’t hear this prophetic promise and not think of the promise of God to King David in 2 Samuel 7:12–13, 16 (NIV). The Lord tells David, “12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” The Lord repeats this promise to the scared people living in Judah during this time of darkness. He hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t changed his mind. He will do it. It wasn’t up to the people. It wasn’t dependent on them. “The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” The people needed another exodus. They needed to be led out of captivity once again. This time, not only from Assyria or Babylon but from this generational struggle, from their own inability to save themselves — from this deep darkness. But when would this happen? How long, O Lord? How long before we experience this joy and find this peace you promised? Maybe some of you resonate with that feeling today. Lord, I have heard the good things you have promised, but I’m in a season of darkness. I’m feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and weak. I need some hope. I need some light. Well, today, as we think about the meaning of Christmas, we remember that about 700 years after this prophecy, there were shepherds living in the Judean fields outside the little town of Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks in the dark of night. When suddenly, an angel appeared to them, and the light of the glory of the Lord shone all around them. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” (Jn 1:9). And his name was Jesus. Jesus was of the house and line of David so he could “reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom.” He was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth, a town in the northern region of Galilee, so his life, many of his disciples, and much of his early ministry would “honor Galilee of the nations.” Jesus would be raised up like Gideon to lead God’s people to victory, freedom, and peace. But he would not be raised up to lead an army to defeat a political enemy. He would be raised up on the cross to die for the sins of the world. He would take on the ultimate enemies of sin and death, but on the third day, he would shatter the yoke — he would rise again from the dead and deliver an everlasting victory for his people. Though he was the divine Son of God from eternity past, he would become a man, a human being, so he could be both a king and also a Mighty God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12). He was the light that God promised through Isaiah! He was the one who would come and bring joy and peace! He was the one who would come to reign and rule over the kingdom of God forever and ever! He was the one who would do it and would graciously provide salvation to all — first to the Jew, but then to the Gentiles. So that now anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So today, if you’re feeling like you’ve been walking in darkness (maybe for years now), if you’re feeling the weight of the brokenness of this world, if you’re mourning, if you have questions and doubts, if you’re in pain — for those who need to find your joy again, for those who feel the yoke of bondage and need some peace, come to Jesus. Turn to Jesus. He is the promised one. He is the light of the world. He is the only lasting source of hope and joy and peace. We’ll talk more next Sunday about waiting for the return of our King. But today, while we wait for him, we might have to join the psalmist who says “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning…You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” (Ps 30:5, ) We can also join God’s people in Judah all those years ago and cry out “Hosanna! Lord, save us!” And he will — in his time and according to his good purposes. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Let us pray.
