Isaiah 9

Please turn back to Isaiah 9, looking at verses 1-7, continuing in our Advent series.

! I remember the first time I ever held each of my girls when they were born.

! And I remember the midwife handed the baby to me every time.

And every time I was just so nervous to hold them because the midwife was handing me something just so small and fragile.

Into my hands. I was just, realized I was just holding this tiny, weak, vulnerable little baby.

How terrified I might drop her. I never did, don't worry.

But in many ways, we are right to feel that way about a newborn, aren't we?

That is what a baby is. We think of babies and we think of weak, vulnerable, needy.

Well, as we continue our Advent series here in Isaiah, and we think more about the birth of Christ,

this passage in Isaiah, it gets us to think deeper about what we think of when we think of the baby Jesus.

That's what Isaiah is speaking of here. Look at verse 6.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.

So last week, we saw in Isaiah 7, God promises a child from a virgin to end the fears of this world.

Well, here in Isaiah 9, we are seeing more about who this child is.

This is a prophecy looking ahead, a prophecy about the Lord Jesus telling us who he really is.

And so you can kind of think of this passage as like an x-ray on the manger.

So as Mary laid that child, that son, into that manger,

Isaiah 9 is kind of like an x-ray on that manger,

getting us to look deeper into who that baby really is.

And this x-ray reveals something mysterious.

We see he really is a child, just like my girls, weak, vulnerable, needy.

He was cold. He was a cold, crying, hungry baby.

Human in every way.

But at the same time, mysteriously, Isaiah shows us he is also something much, much more.

This child is a king, and this child is a divine king.

And this child, this divine king, has come to do something.

He's come to end the darkness of this world.

So as we continue in our Advent series, I want us to use this time to think more about the mystery of the manger.

So Advent, it's all about the build-up to Christmas, isn't it?

It's all about remembering the wait before Christ's birth.

Well, I want us to think, what are we building up to?

Who exactly are we waiting for?

Who exactly is that boy in the manger?

And the big thing to see is something mysterious is going on in that manger, but also something wonderful.

That child is the king and the divine king to end the darkness of this world.

And so as we look at the manger, this is the first thing I want us to see.

There is a king in that manger.

There is a king in that manger.

Look what this passage says about Jesus, verse 6.

For to us a child is born.

To us a son is given.

So there is no doubt to who, to what is in that manger.

It is a child.

A son.

A boy.

You can look into that manger in Bethlehem and say these words of Isaiah.

For to us a child is born.

And what is every child like?

What were my girls like?

The child in that manger, the baby Jesus, he is weak.

Vulnerable.

Needy.

Like any baby, he jolts when he hears a loud noise.

If they had needles back in those days, in modern medicine, you could do the heel prick test on him and he would cry.

He wriggles and screams because he's hungry.

He's wrapped up in swaddling cloths because he's cold.

There's an unhelpful line in Away in a Manger that goes,

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.

But that can't be true because who is in that manger?

It's a child.

And children cry.

If we can truly say a child is born, then that means a real child, not a super-powered baby.

Not a baby that found this world easy, no.

The son of God really took on true, frail humanity.

Not sinful, not fallen, but frail humanity.

Humanity that can suffer.

And that is what Isaiah's x-ray shows us.

We can look into that manger and see truly a child is born.

That is a son of a virgin.

But at the same time, Isaiah says something remarkable about this child.

Look at verse 6 again.

And the government shall be upon his shoulder.

This is a picture of carrying something on his shoulders.

So kids, or adults as well, has your dad ever put you on his shoulders?

Think about that.

Maybe on a walk, you go on a big hike and you get tired.

What does dad do?

He puts you on his shoulders, doesn't he?

And what is dad doing when he does that?

He's holding you up, isn't he?

He's carrying you.

You're resting on him.

And if he lets go, you fall, don't you?

And so when you're on his shoulders, you're completely dependent on him, aren't you?

The responsibility of looking after you and the power to keep you safe, it all rests on dad.

And when you're on his shoulder, he's the one in charge, isn't he?

Well, as we look into that manger, what does that baby, what does Jesus have on his shoulder?

The government shall be upon his shoulder.

Now, what is this government?

Well, look at verse 7.

It's the throne of David.

That means King David.

It's talking about the throne over God's people, his redeemed people.

It's talking about the throne over God's church.

And as we look into that manger, there is something resting on that tiny little shoulder.

The government of God's people.

And think about government.

Government's all about rule, isn't it?

So the British government rules and controls and orders this land.

Well, Christ rules and controls and orders his people.

The church.

And what kind of person does that?

What kind of person has a throne and rules?

It's a king.

If you x-ray, if you scan that manger,

you will find that there is royal blood pumping through that baby's veins.

And so, at that point,

it may be a tiny little shoulder wrapped in swaddling cloths.

But that shoulder is carrying something huge.

He is perfectly carrying the entire weight and responsibility

of billions of billions of redeemed souls.

The weight of salvation itself is resting on that child's shoulder.

That child is the one keeping his people, his church,

you and me and everyone in Christ.

That child is keeping all of us from falling.

But it's also even more than that.

This government, it goes beyond the church.

Because look at verse 7.

Of the increase of his government and of peace,

there will be no end.

This government, it's the throne of David.

It's over his kingdom.

And this kingdom has no end.

This is a universal government

that lasts for eternity.

It's God's complete rule over all creation,

heaven and earth.

Carrying this government,

it means that this child has the right

to command atoms where to go.

This government,

it's the ability to order angels

to come and go between heaven and earth.

It's the authority to calm storms.

The authority to heal disease.

God's people are at the centre of this kingdom.

The church is at the heart of it.

But this government,

it goes beyond the church

and it covers all creation.

The reach of this kingdom has no end.

And so when Jesus grows up,

30 years after the manger,

and preaches his first sermon,

what does he preach?

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The king has arrived.

And that should be no surprise

that that's his first sermon

because he was carrying something

on his shoulder as he preached.

It was something he was born to carry.

The government shall be upon his shoulder.

Abraham Kuyper,

a theologian,

he famously said this about Christ.

There is not a square inch

in the whole domain of our human existence

over which Christ,

who is sovereign over all,

does not cry,

mine.

Although that little baby

couldn't speak yet,

as he lies in that manger,

he has every right to say,

this whole world is mine.

There is a king in that manger.

And so there is something

mysterious going on.

There is a child,

weak, vulnerable, needy,

that needed his mother,

needed warmth,

but at the same time,

in that manger,

is a king

who must be bowed to

and listened to

and feared and respected.

And while he needs his mother,

at the same time,

in every way,

we need him.

Because look what this king

has come to do

as he carries the government

on his shoulder.

Verse 2.

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light.

Those who dwelt

in a land of deep darkness,

on them has light shined.

This king has come to bring light.

And what does light do?

Light dispels darkness.

So think,

you walk into a dark room,

it's pitch black,

darkness everywhere,

and then you turn on the big light,

you hit the switch.

What happens to the darkness

in that room?

It disappears, doesn't it?

The darkness doesn't hang around

whilst the light is also shining.

No, no.

Light dispels darkness,

replaces it.

Well, this child has been born

carrying this kingdom

in order to dispel darkness.

And what is this darkness?

Well, you already know.

You can feel it right now.

The darkness here in Isaiah,

it's the curse of this world.

It's exactly how we talk about darkness.

We speak about a dark time in life,

don't we?

A time of suffering.

Maybe a period of life

that's just gone off the rails.

We say,

that was a dark time in life.

That's the darkness going on here.

We speak of anxiety

and depression as darkness.

darkness.

We speak of dark thoughts

and it feels like all the colour

and light has gone from life.

That's the darkness.

We speak of something

having a dark side to it,

don't we?

When something is evil

or corrupt

or there's an injustice,

that's the darkness.

And of course,

the Bible speaks of the valley

of the shadow of death.

Death itself

is a darkness in this world.

It is a shadow

that weighs very heavy on us.

And what has this king come to do?

Shine light

into all that darkness.

To dispel it,

destroy it.

To use the government

that is on his shoulder

to bring an end to the darkness

that weighs so heavy on us.

Christmas time

is all about recognising

that a light has come

to actually end

the curse of darkness.

A king has come

with the authority

to end sin

and suffering itself.

That child

in that manger

does need his mother

but we must not miss.

We really need him.

In your darkness,

whatever that may be,

you may be looking

for light right now.

Looking for help,

looking for rescue

from this dark

and cursed life

and maybe you just have

no idea where to go.

Well, you cannot miss this.

A child has been born

who is the light

to shine into your darkness.

In that manger

is a king

and the government

of creation

is on his shoulder,

a king

to end this darkness.

And the reason

he can shine this light,

the reason he can have

this power

is because of who he is.

We could so easily ask,

why can one little child,

how can one son

shine so much light?

How can such responsibility

be on such tiny shoulders?

Well, we need to look

even closer

into the manger.

Look closely

at that x-ray

and Isaiah shows us

even more

of who this child is.

There is not only a king

but there is a divine king

in that manger.

That's my second point.

There is a divine king

in that manger.

Look at the end

of verse 6.

Isaiah gives four names

for this baby.

Did you see verse 6?

Wonderful counsellor,

mighty God,

everlasting father,

prince of peace.

Now names,

names are always important

in the Bible.

Names aren't just random.

Names tell us

about who a person

really is.

It's an insight

into their character.

Well, this is giving us

an insight

into who Jesus really is,

who that baby is

in that manger.

And so just look

at the first name.

Wonderful counsellor.

Now, counsellor here,

it doesn't mean therapist.

Okay?

That's often how we use

the word counsellor,

isn't it?

No.

Counsellor

means someone with wisdom.

So, we take counsel

from someone

when we need wisdom

from them,

don't we?

So, if you want

your car fixed,

you need wisdom,

counsel from someone

who knows how to fix them.

You take counsel

from John Silver.

He's not here tonight.

But, when he's better,

take counsel

from John Silver.

Or, if you're struggling

in your family,

you may take counsel

from an older couple

because they know

how to help.

They have the wisdom.

A counsellor

is someone with wisdom

to deal with

this fallen world.

And, wonderful,

it doesn't just mean

really nice.

So, we might say,

oh, I had a wonderful

time at lunch.

Meaning, I had a really

nice time at lunch.

No, no.

It doesn't mean that.

Wonderful,

it means what it says.

It means full of wonders.

And, who does wonders

in the Bible?

Well, God does wonders.

Think of the Exodus.

All those plagues

and miracles

were God's signs

and wonders.

And so, who is Jesus?

He is the one

who has the miraculous,

wondrous wisdom of God.

He is the one

full of divine wisdom.

in that manger

is the one

who not only

has the right

to rule this world,

but he also

knows how to do it.

He has the wisdom,

the counsel,

to fix the darkness

in this world.

He is the

wonderful

counsellor.

And, look at his other name.

Mighty God.

this king

has the power

and might

of God himself.

That little boy

can carry

the government

on his shoulder

because

he was carrying

the galaxies

before he was even born.

And he's called

Everlasting Father.

Now,

this isn't getting

the persons

of the Trinity

confused, okay?

So you might

read this

and wonder,

hold on,

I thought Jesus

was the Son of God,

not the Father.

Hold on,

how can he be called this?

And if you're

in my Sunday school,

I hope your Trinity

senses are tingling

right now.

I hope you've been listening.

Well,

this isn't calling

the Son

the Father.

This isn't mixing up

the first and second

person of the Trinity.

No.

He is called

Father

because

fathers

care for

and love

their family.

And as mighty

God,

Jesus has been

caring for

and loving

his people,

his church.

As a father

loves his family

with an

everlasting

divine love.

Everlasting

Father means

this baby

is the

everlasting

God

who loves

his people.

And finally,

he's the

Prince of Peace.

with the

government on

his shoulders,

he's a

prince.

And a

prince who

brings not

war,

not strife,

not burdens,

but peace.

So this child,

what do these names

say about him?

He's a child

full of divine

wisdom,

full of divine

power,

full of divine

love and

divine peace.

all this is to

say that this

child is,

without any

doubt,

this child

is God

himself.

Not merely a

prophet,

not merely

just a holy

person,

but the

eternal,

mighty God

taking on

a human

nature.

And being

born a

child held

in the arms

of his

mother.

so that

when she

places him

in that

manger,

that that

child we

see in

that

manger,

we must

bow to

him as

king,

and bow

to him

as God.

There is a

divine king

in that

manger.

And this,

this is how

one child

can bring so

much light

into such

darkness in

our lives.

this darkness

we're in,

this is a

complicated,

relentless

enemy around

us.

Suffering.

We try to

avoid it

every day,

but it

always finds

us.

The sadness

of our

lives,

we try to

drown out

with any

substance,

any

distraction

we can

find.

We keep

voting in

new parties,

write new

policies,

thinking that

this will

finally deal

with the

dark side

of this

world.

But it's

always lurking.

And we

go to the

council of

doctors,

and they

can slow

death,

they can

sometimes

delay it,

but eventually

it always

knocks on

our door.

This

darkness is

too big,

too complicated

for any

creature,

any human

king to

solve.

So what

do we

need?

divine

wisdom

to know

how to

bring light

and get

rid of

this

darkness.

We need

a wonderful

counsellor.

We need

a mighty

God

strong enough

to end

death itself.

We need

an everlasting

father,

a God who

loves his

people enough

to do

something about

this.

we need

a prince

to rule

this chaos

of darkness

and bring

peace,

peace to

the anguish

of our

lives,

peace between

sinners and

God.

And that,

that is

exactly who

this child

is.

Because this

child,

when he was

older,

he hung

on a cross

and he

offered his

frail and

vulnerable

flesh,

shed his

royal blood,

all to

bring peace

to his

people.

And when

he was on

that cross,

darkness hung

over the

land because

the darkness

of the world

was falling

on him,

bearing the

sins of

his people.

and it

fell on him

so that he

could bring

light to

everywhere

else.

And because

he is

mighty God,

death and

darkness could

not win.

The divine

king was

raised to

new life.

And it's

through this

sacrifice,

this is how

the divine

king is

bringing in

his kingdom.

As you

trust this

son,

trust in his

death,

this is how

the darkness

is destroyed.

That is how

the light

comes into

your life.

With the

government on

his shoulder,

he can

command your

darkness to

disappear.

So let me

ask you today,

are you

trusting in

this king?

Do you

realise he

is a king

to bow to?

Do you

realise he

is your

God to

bow to?

Well he

invites you

today,

come to

this son,

trust

in him

and he

is able

to bring

light into

your

darkness.

The guilt

of your

sin will

be no

more

dispelled.

The

hopelessness

that we

have in

this world,

it gets

transformed

because you

will belong

to a

kingdom

without

end.

And you

will have

a certainty

that after

death you

will never

be cast

into

darkness.

You will

only enter

into the

light of

everlasting

life.

So please

do not

miss who

the child

is in

that

manger.

Don't

miss this

divine

king.

But we

can't

ignore the

fact that

there is

still so

much darkness

in our

lives.

even for

those of

us who

are trusting

in this

divine

king,

we can

so easily

wonder if

he is so

wonderful,

so mighty,

so loving,

if there's

meant to

be peace

in my

life,

why do

I still

feel the

depth of

this

darkness?

Well, the

first thing

we can't

forget is

just because

we still

feel the

darkness,

that doesn't

mean there

is no

light at

all.

Christ has

shone into

the darkness

of your

sin,

you do

belong to

this kingdom,

you are

under his

everlasting

love and

care right

now.

And so

you can

know that

there is a

sure end

to your

darkness.

When Christ

returns,

the light

will come

back to

earth and

get rid of

this darkness

entirely.

And if we

still feel

this darkness,

and we all

do,

this is what

we need to

do now,

we need

to wait,

patiently

wait.

This

Advent,

as we

remember the

wait for

Christ's

first coming,

we must

use this

time to

remember to

wait for

his second

coming.

This isn't

the end

that we're

at.

The darkness

is going to

disappear,

and Jesus

hasn't

forgotten

you.

The divine

king will

come back

for you,

the light

will return

and end

this darkness,

and so for

now,

we need

to wait.

But we

can wait

with certain

hope,

because we

know that

day is

coming.

We know

it will

be a day

of joy,

because the

light has

already come.

The divine

king has

already been

in that

manger,

he's

already hung

on that

cross,

that light

has already

shone in

the darkness.

So let's

keep waiting.

Wait for

your wonderful

counsellor,

your mighty

God,

your everlasting

father,

your prince of

peace.

The darkness

is almost

over.

The light

will return.

Let's pray.