[8:00 a.m.] The Key to Christmas (Isaiah 9:6-7, 22:20-25; Revelation 3:7)

Please remain standing for the reading of the word.

We have three passages this morning.

We are clustering. Our Advent sermons around, the

Prophecies of Isaiah, having to do with the coming of Christ.

And not only are we using the theme of O?

Come O come, but we're also including several titles and

designations for Christ in there by learning a little more of the

full orbed truth about Who Christ is and what he is doing.

Not didn't say, just has done but is doing and will do so

these are the Clusters scriptures.

The first one is from the 9th chapter of Isaiah, very familiar

passage and we'll read that. And then we'll move over a few

chapters in Isaiah and read a an episode a little bit of an

episode that took place during the days of King Hezekiah of to

whom and For Whom the prophet Isaiah ministered.

And It's based upon a passage back in Second Kings. 18, Second

Kings, 18, 19 and 20 are the story of the reign of King

Hezekiah and during that rain occurred the greatest crisis in

the history of Judah. And that was the northern Syrian

Invasion from which the Lord spared them and save them and

preserve the nation of Judah for another hundred and some odd

years before it finally fell into captivity with the

Babylonians. And then the Third And final is

just a quotation out of the Book of Revelation will see how this

all ties together. If I do my job.

But here now the word of the Lord 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 peace.

There will be no end. And 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.

Then Isaiah chapter 22, a few verses in the in the end of that

Isaiah 22 · chapter mention

chapter in that day I will call my servant eliakim the son of

hilkiah and we'll clothed him with your robe and will bind

your sash on him and will commit your authority to his hand.

And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to

the house of Judah, and I will place on his shoulder.

The key of the House of David, he shall open and None Shall

I'll shut, he shall shut, and None Shall open.

And I will fasten him like a pig in a secure place and he will

become a throne of honor to his father's house.

And they will hang on him, the whole honor of his father's

house The Offspring and issue, every small vessel from the cups

to the flagons in that day. Declares the Lord of hosts that

the peg that was fastened in a secure place, will give way, and

it will be cut down and fall. The load that was on.

It will be cut off for the Lord. Lord has spoken.

And then finally all the way over to The Apocalypse of Saint,

John chapter 3 verse 7 and to the angel of the Church of

John 3:7

Philadelphia. Write the words of the Holy One,

the true one who has the Key of David who opens, and no one will

shut who shuts and no one opens the word of the Lord.

Amen. You may be seated.

What is this all about? This is about the kingdom.

We living in a democracy, don't really think a whole lot about

Kingdom, most of the countries and the civilizations of

humanity, human history have known a lot about a king because

most have been ruled by monarchy or something very close to it.

We have in this country eliminated the office of King

and so we don't really sometimes understand a few things about

that. Office one is it's an office by

appointment. It comes by Divine appointment

or it becomes by right that descends for my family.

It can come in ways of hard Revolution.

It can come in ways of quiet, desperation.

And but a kingdom comes, and the kingdom that will rule all the

kingdoms. And he didn't even as beginning

that Conquest today as the kingdom of God.

According to The Parables of Christ is extracting, from all

the ethnic groups, and all the other kingdoms citizens out of

the kingdoms of the ancient Middle East.

They're come citizens, they're called Believers in a new king

there. Those who have come to Faith and

sworn their allegiance and bow down before and now follow and

Obey and serve a new king. That is King, Jesus and that's

really what the coming of Christ was all about.

It was the inauguration on Earth of the coming of a king.

In fact, we see it there in Isaiah where it says unto us a

child is born. The birth of a child speaks of

Christ's Humanity. He was born of the Virgin Mary.

He was born Into The Human Condition.

He was 100% Homosapien human, man.

But also, it says that a son is given that's royalty.

That's a title. The scriptures say thou art my

son. Today, I have begotten thee.

It is an anointing. That is an Incarnation.

That is an enthronement that comes from on high and it speaks

of the deity of Christ. Christ is not only completely

human, just like, we are, but he is fully Divine in every way.

With God, Almighty, the father. And therefore, he comes as a

unique person who's perfect to be the mediator between Divine,

that which is transcendent and godly and the human that, which

is temporal and Earthly. And so, that's what we have

there. We have a man in the middle

between all that is God and all that is human, and he comes to

do a task. But the word that we focus on

today is this idea of the Key of David last week we saw kind of a

strange concept called the stump and the root of Jesse, remember

that? And we talked about what all

that teaches us. Well, this phrase here, the the

Key of David teaches us something, and the key in

anywhere, you look at is that which Unlocks is that, which is

brings about opens up. But it also that, which shuts

and around this one person. This son who is coronated King

and who is of our very flesh. Rest all of the authority to

open and close to shut in and to shut out to release and to

capture, it's a sovereignty, it's a Divine Authority that he

has. In fact, the scriptures speak in

the, in the language of a couple of ideas.

The word often is used for the word power.

It's sometimes called the power of the keys and the Bible speaks

of the keys to the kingdom. It speaks of the keys to death

in hell, it speaks of the keys to the bottomless pit.

So if you run this reference through scripture, you see that

what we're looking at is absolute final assignment

Authority, verdict. It is a, it is a very Regal

term, they hold the keys, the king holds the keys.

So we see in this passage some interesting things.

This this first idea is the idea of authority around The idea of

a of a royal key. It is expressed in our in the

Greek language by word exousia and it means right Authority.

Warrant, it means it can be to be authorized but not only is it

a right? A power is a right but it is

also used in the sense of being a power.

And this word you're familiar with when it says Is I'm not

ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto

salvation, where does dunamis? And it means and active power.

A power to actually accomplish. It is the dunamis of capacity,

ability strength, So the King has not only the right to do

with your soul. What he wants to do and Jesus

tells us to fear Him who has the power of life and death over us.

That's a hard notion for some people to swallow.

In fact, in our sinful Rebellion, we just don't like it

at all. But the fact is, there is a

sovereign in the universe that has absolute power over your

life. He has a right and Authority as

your creator to do what he wants to do with his life, with your

life. So we must think in those terms

and begin to get our minds yielded and adjusted to this

notion of absolute Authority. Just like the Philippian.

Jailer had a whole belt full of keys, the King of Kings holds

the keys, he holds the keys to it.

All is his absolute Sovereign and has a right to be that but

not only does he have a right? Is he authorized to do it?

Does he have a warrant to have a absolute control over your life

and over Nations and in the whole creation?

But he also has the ability to do something about it.

He not only has the right and the authorization but he has the

wherewithal. He has the the authority to rule

and to take dominion. And these two Greek words that I

just mentioned exousia and dunamis or have match Teaching

Latin words, of course. So much of theology in the

western church moved into Latin. So you have to pay attention to

that. The word that is analogous in

Latin to exclusive has the word POTUS and it means the authority

to the rule or here's an interesting word dominion.

To dominate and the word for dunamis is matched by the word

potentia which means Authority, Rule, and Dominion as well.

So you just can't escape it with translation, the Latin and the

Greek, the whole Heritage of this teaching about the kingdom

of God comes to us at a pretty straightforward manner, right

out of the Bible. In fact, if you would understand

the Bible at all, you've got to understand something about the

kingdom of God, God's righteous rule over.

Over all creation God's righteous rule over the church

God's righteous rule over his people God's righteous rule

over. You personally, in fact, if you

don't understand that, you'll find yourself, living a life,

displeasing to the Lord and a life of sin.

If you don't understand that, you won't understand all the

millennial positions, you won't understand the doctrine of

salvation. There's just a whole lot about

the whole notion of Christianity that is wrapped up in

understanding the Except of the kingdom of God.

The entrance into the kingdom of God.

I'll mention parenthetically is by repentance and Faith,

repentance of your sins and your previous walk and Direction.

Attitude, worldview out looking Behavior.

Repent, And faith, belief, simple Shear Muir trust,

dependence and coming to Christ for forgiveness and salvation,

and that's the way the kingdom is injured.

It is entered by repentance and faith.

God, commands, all men, and women, God commands, all to

repent. He tells us to be careful that

we escape the wrath that is to come against.

All rebellious subjects in God's order and I want well, I'll just

stop it there. I won't get sidetracked too much

on Notions of the Kingdom because we got a lot of head of

us here and we got to just a few minutes to do it.

One is, we need to take a good look at this story.

This little story that's thrown in here is kind of interesting

sees in that day. I will call my servant like him,

the son of hilkiah and so forth. What's going on there?

Well, let me tell you briefly that he's, this is in the days.

This is about 720 BC or 7 + centuries before Or Christ was

born. That's how far back the

prophecies go. Actually, they go back twice

that far and even further than that.

And when you consider the Prophecies of the Book of

Genesis, but those prophecies had to do with the coming of the

king, the Messiah, the true. Son of David who would sit upon

David's Throne when God established David's, Throne way

back. He told Nathan the prophet way

back in. Second Samuel 7 you read about

it. Where God just simply says, I'm

going to stablish this little cup all the kingdoms of the

world. I'm going to stablish this one

little mid-eastern potentate as the Eternal throne, and he put

that designation upon King David.

And that's the throne. And there were the descendants

of King David came along. And, you know, Oh, the story of

of Solomon, and then riobamba and jeroboam in the splitting,

in the dividing and all that. But all through God says, it's

that Kingdom of David, that House of David, the lineage of

David, Is who I will rest. All of my Divine Authority in

and the authority along with great Authority goes great

responsibility, and the great responsibility is now, this King

has not only the right to judge, but he has the responsibility to

do, what's right? Do you hear that?

God not only has the right in Christ to do anything he wants

to with your life but he has the moral responsibility as to his

character to do that, which is perfectly righteous.

And just with your life, he will establish a rule of Justice

Hill, establish a rule of righteousness.

It's a holy rule. Holy means separated apart from

different than it. Also means cleaned up and made

fit and set aside for special use.

That's what the Lord has in mind for his people.

It's a royal rule over them, but it's a rule that has both

responsibility as well as the authority in it.

And this Authority that's placed upon the king is pictured.

In the Bible, as a yoke. It's a heavy yoke that bears.

A heavy burden or pulls a heavy load and it's placed upon the

shoulders of the of the king much like a yoke would be placed

upon oxen to pull a heavy load into bear, a heavy weight.

And this E load comes upon Upon Jesus Christ.

This yoke is placed upon him and he has this responsibility to do

it. But back in the day, what

happened in Isaac, it has a Caius day and I'll try to tell a

3 chapter story in about few minutes.

We'll see. King Hezekiah is threatened by

the Assyrian Conquest to collect police of the third, and

sennacherib is General have seeds and conquered the northern

kingdom. The king of Israel.

The ten tribes and now they're laying Siege to the southern

Kingdom. They've already conquered some

of the cities on the Northern Edge and now, they're laying

Siege to Jerusalem. And and Hezekiah the king cries

out to the Lord for help and the Lord says, don't trust in

chariots. Don't trust in your army but

trust in me. Well, meanwhile the King wages.

Is a propaganda campaign, the king of Assyria.

And he sends a man down to tell him says are your people

trusting in the Lord? Are you trusting in your silly

little God? What other god of what other

city of the ancient world has been spared by their God?

And your king is telling you to trust in the Lord you do better.

Give that up becoming trust me. If you do that, I'll take care

of you. I'll be a good King.

I'll be a great Sovereign rain over the people says the king of

Syria, and in the men who are in charge of Hezekiah, is

government. Tell that man said, holding

speak, if you would in your language, don't speak in the

language of Judea. He said, because our people can

hear what you're saying. They can hear these threats and

they can then know what our decision is.

So they continue. To speak in the language.

That is the native tongue. Where everybody in Jerusalem,

can see what these propagandists.

These embassies areas of the king.

Well, the guy that was holding the the responsibility of the

Prime Minister or the first minister of the one that had the

real administrative. The say, the CEO of the chief

operating officer in Judea was a man named shebna and he's

mentioned, by the way, in your text back in verse 15.

Before we get down to verse 20, where we read and shove do was

the, was the one Who was the steward of the house.

He had control of everything and he elevated himself to King

built himself, a royal tomb and did all this sort of thing and

he displeased the Lord. And the Lord is replacing him.

And taken away the authority of shebna to be Hezekiah as prime

minister and giving that authority to another.

And that's what's happening in verse 15.

He says, I will call my servant Eli Hakeem and I will clothe him

with your robe. He's talking to shebna now.

The prophet is and will bind his Sash on him and will commit your

authority to his hand. So the authority of the prime

minister's being changed. God Has Changed Hezekiah as

prime minister and he promises that he shall be a father to

catch that word, father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the

house of Judah, I will place on his shoulder, the key or the

Yoke of the burden of the House of David, he shall open and

unsell shut and so forth. So, what's happening here is God

is taking the Rarity, the exclusive away from.

One prime minister under King Hezekiah and shifting it over to

another for good reason. Nevertheless, God is is doing

this to his people. And by the way, if I was a

preacher, I'd stop preach right here.

God is Sovereign enough to do that.

Uh-huh. He will take from Esau gift to

Jacob. He will take from Saul and give

to David. He'll even according to Book of

Ezekiel. He will even take the whole

Shepherds of Israel. They're keying their priests,

their profits, the whole leadership group from Israel,

take from them, strip them of their Authority and give it to

his righteous servant The Humble servant, Jesus Christ.

And that's what a lot of the New Testament is about God.

Taking the authority from the failing, unbelieving Unfaithful

Shepherds of well, and giving it to the Good Shepherd, who dies

and lays down his life for the sheep and who leads the sheep

and whose voice the Sheep know. And this is what's happening in

Israel. God is making this particular

change and so when he does so he describes the authority now just

in the moments we have left, let me just point out something

about what this Authority entails and there are in the

passage. We first read there.

There are several names that are given unto us.

A child is born. Son is given.

That's the humanity and the Divinity, deity of Christ, the

government shall be upon his shoulder.

That's the yolk. He has the key.

To call the shots. And he has the Yoke to Bear the

responsibility before God of calling the shots.

So that's what the office that Jesus has assumed as he becomes

the king as he is. So anointed and so-and-so.

Enthroned, and here in chapter 9 is very familiar.

Passage is A passage which mentions the word name and his

name shall be called and what is listed here are four Throne

names for royal names titles, also descriptions of the king

that sits on the throne. And if there's ever a good

christological passage anywhere in the Old Testament, it's right

here. Can listen to what these are and

I know you're familiar with them.

We've heard him read repeatedly. In fact I think almost every

Advent season, one way, or the other in the 15 years I've been

Been preaching, this little service, we've managed to bring

this passage into one of the Advent sermons, one way or the

other, and it's worth it, because listen to what he says,

his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting father, Prince of Peace, and of the increase of

his government and peace. There shall be.

Oh no. In other words, it's a Eternal

rain and it's mentioned again and it says the Zeal of the lord

of the hosts will perform it. Well, what is what are these

names mean? Well, the first one is

wonderful. That means the king that sits

upon the throne, it's going to be a wonderful counselor.

First instance, he's a counselor, he is one that is

called to advise. He is one who is called to lead

to support to uphold and to give the right kind of advice in the

right kind of admonition to the kingdom.

And Jesus is certainly that in fact he is a child of wisdom

loot in Luke 2 describes Jesus Christ, life.

In terms of Proverbs 3, where he says he increased in wisdom and

in stature and in favor, with God and man, that's Jesus

Christ. He is a counselor, he is a, he

is a controller, he is a strengthener.

Actually, the word comfort means with fortitude, which streak he

brings strength to the soul, isn't it?

Wonderful to have someone on the throne that It holds the key to

your life, be the one that is the wonderful counselor and the

word wonderful means he's not only magnificent and wonderful

in every way that he strikes all in Wonder in our souls as we

behold the beauty of Christ but it says he is a wonder worker if

there's anything to characterize the ministry of Christ.

It was Miracles, incredible Miracles, feeding of the five

thousand walking on the water calming the storm raising the

dead, Healing The Sick casting out demons Lepers on and on and

on, you can go the great wonderful deeds.

In fact, one of the things that commended Christ to that current

audience, that saw him physically with their eyes, was

that he did incredible Miracles that could not be denied

Nicodemus. Says, we know you're from God

because nobody can do this kind of stuff, unless he's from God

and that incited faith in the heart of Nicodemus, is he began

to believe? But then he learned in order to

be a member of that Kingdom and enter that Kingdom.

You must be born again. So, it is waiting upon The new

birth. What heard other title Mighty

God. This is the concept, the word

mighty and God put together is the concept of God as Valor God

as the Valiant, God as the hero. And that's exactly who Jesus is.

In fact, the thing that the hero does is he rises.

Resurrection, raises restoring the House of David according to

Acts chapter 15 and he restores restores The Fortunes of Israel

Acts 15 · chapter mention

that are talked about all through the Old Testament, The

Fortunes of you know, what refers is the fortunes of Israel

restored. It's the blessings that come to

us in Christ Ephesians chapter 1 come to us in Christ by Christ.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Jesus wonderful blessings that are temporal that are personal.

There's a Prosperity Gospel. Did you know that there's a

Biblical? Prosperity Gospel is not the one

you hear on TV very often but there's a Biblical Prosperity

Gospel. Then when he gets right down to

it Christ is going to prosper us.

Immensely beyond all we can ask or think in this life and

certainly in the life to come, he is a vowel or he's a hero,

he's an everlasting father that word there member didn't mention

that one of the things that they were going to give to eliakim

was he would be the father of the people.

Well this means that he'll be a progenitor.

Of the family will be the progenitor of a family.

He'll be the father of a family. That's who Christ is.

He's the second Adam. He's a new father of the new

humanity and it's a royal family and it's a Priestly family

fulfilling the great promises all through the Old Testament of

restoring, the priesthood of Aaron and restoring and

superseding, even the Throne of David priest and King a royal

priesthood and that's the way his people are there.

In that Kingdom with him and they rule and reign with him and

they are priest along with him with all the goes with that.

Well, and then finally, it says he is the Prince of Peace.

He's the ruler just like you like him is a type of Christ in

our story today. Even King Solomon was a type of

Christ. His very name Solomon.

Shalom. He was the son.

He was the prince. He was the son of David.

He was the prince of shalom. I'm the Prince of Peace and a

lot in the life of Solomon is typifies the great king.

But Jesus said, when he came to remember, set a greater than

Solomon is here, that's what we have in Christ.

We have this, this Mighty God, the Everlasting father, this

wonderful counselor, this Prince of Peace.

And then finally, let me say one thing as I close.

You remember the Great Commission?

Recorded in the Book of Matthew. What did Jesus say to his

disciples? Just think about that as I sort

of give it to you? All authority.

It's the word exousia. It means the write the warrant

all authority in heaven and in Earth is given to me.

He says then therefore. As you're going, make disciples.

Teach them to observe all things.

I have commanded you And what did he finally say lo I am with

you? Emmanuel God With Us Until the

End of the Age. What a wonderful savior is he.

What a wonderful savior is he.