Lord, we turn our attention to your word because you promise us, you tell us in your word that here we see and hear you speaking. And we turn our attention here because we know we need to hear from you. We need your words. Your words guide us into your truth, and it's in your words that we not only see truth, we see you in the face of Jesus Christ. And that is our greatest need, that our hearts, our minds, our wills would be directed back towards Jesus. And so we ask now for your help, for your Spirit's help, that you would fill us. Give us ears to hear, Lord. Help us to see the truth of Christ as we prepare our hearts this Advent season to celebrate and anticipate the greatest gift the world has ever known in the sending of your Son to be our Messiah. We pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen.
Well, it's tough to drop into a book like Isaiah without somewhat setting the context and giving a little bit of of an idea of the lay of the land. Isaiah is a tricky book. It's a prophetic book and there's a lot going on there. But fundamentally, Isaiah is a book that's a prophetic portrait of hope. There's all sorts of things that are going on in the context historically. It's a book that's filled with oracles, so prophetic predictions and visions. And it's a book that's filled with poetry. And so if you just drop into Isaiah, a lot of times it's kind of— hard to make your way through the landscape. But at its core, Isaiah contains God's word of hope to a people who seem to be in a hopeless situation. It's God's word to a people who are habitually setting their trust in things not worthy of their trust.
Does that make sense? So that's what Isaiah is doing here. He's talking to Israel, to Judah specifically, the southern kingdom. And He's warning them not to trust in foreign kings as they're tempted to do. He's warning them not to trust in their own kings, both the faithful ones and the unfaithful ones. He's warning them not to trust in themselves. And He's especially warning them not to trust in other gods. So the historical context is this political thriller. It's this time of chaos in the ancient world as Assyria, this superpower is rising up in strength and sweeping across the Middle East and conquering nation after nation. And so the context of Isaiah is filled with intrigue and there's palace politics going on in Judah. And there's schemes to try and position and get in the good graces of whichever side you think is going to win the ultimate struggle for power. There's battles and there's disobedience. In the context of this letter, it starts out with a king dying and over the course of the book, in the course of all the oracles, there are 5 different kings who come onto the scene, 5 different kings of God's people. And it's all happening under the increasing shadow of this mighty and brutal nation, Assyria. The Assyrian Empire is just looming over the scene. Over the pages of this letter.
And you need to understand Assyria, it's not just this nation that's coming and conquering people. They're coming and conquering people in the most brutal way possible. When they conquer a king, they take that king and all of the rulers and all the parts of the palace, and they gouge out the ruler's eyes, and they put hooks in their lips, and they lead these conquered royals back to Assyria by their lips. If you're a disobedient monarch, they'll put a hook all the way through your jaw. So it's a scary thing. It's a trembling thing to consider Assyria on the brink, on the doorstep of Judah. That's the context of what is going on.
And so with all of that happening, we need to keep those things in mind. We also need to realize Isaiah isn't primarily about geopolitical intrigues. It's not about all this action that's happening. It's primarily about God addressing the rebellion of His people against Him and about God informing His people to set their hope back on Him regardless of the consequences. And so it's a book filled with pronouncements of judgment against Assyria and other nations and even Judah. But in the midst of all those judgments and condemnations, there rises a new and a better hope for God's people.
So turn with me now to Isaiah chapter 9, spending most of our time in verses 6 and 7. Hear the holy and authoritative Word of God. Verse 2, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; You have increased its joy; they rejoice before You as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil." Verse 6, "For to us," A child is born to us, a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, 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 Yahweh, Lord of hosts, will do this.
6 · Transitional statement identifying the central focus of the passage—the promised Messiah who will be a forever king
It's a pretty epic pronouncement, right? Well, in the midst of this book filled with promises, filled with predictions of coming judgment, We hear a word of hope, and it's hope that becomes focused on one person, person described in this passage, on one Messiah, an anointed one who will come. And Isaiah is instructing God's people to point their eyes and their attention and their confidence to this future individual. But Isaiah tells them and foretells that this future individual will be a future king. He'll be a final king. He'll be, in the great words of the Jesus Storybook Bible, a forever king.
7 · The pastor establishes the first main point—Christ's infinite reign—and grounds it in the overarching biblical narrative of God's kingdom
So let's look at the portrait of this forever king that we see. First, we see Christ the King, and we see in Isaiah's prophecy that he will reign infinitely, that he will have an infinite reign. That'll be the character of his kingdom. And to grasp that, we have to pull back a little bit from the context of Isaiah and kind of recalibrate our bearings and remember that from the opening pages of Scripture, from the opening verses of Genesis, one of the great themes of the Bible storyline is the kingdom of God. In the garden, we see God's people in God's place, under God's rule, and it is very good. The drama that unfolds after the fall is all a part of a plot to return God's people to God's place and put them again under God's rule. That's what we're seeing in Scripture as the story unfolds.
8 · The pastor shows how Judah's historical situation creates theological crisis: God's people divided, northern kingdom conquered, the kingdom promise seemingly collapsing
So that sets the background for the tragedy that's in front of Judah right now. If you're God's people and you've been anticipating being God's people, which you are, in God's place, the Promised Land, under His rule and the rule of His King, you're in a very precarious position. God's people have already splintered into two countries. You have Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Not supposed to happen. If that's not bad enough, this Assyrian Empire has already conquered the northern kingdom. Your brothers north of Jerusalem have been beaten and destroyed and carried off into captivity. The drama, the story seems to be going off script. Again, again, there's this tension in the story about some cataclysmic disaster that's not supposed to happen to God's people.
9 · The pastor expounds Isaiah 9:2 and 9:6, showing how the prophecy directly addresses Judah's darkness and despair
And so it's into this hopeless situation that Isaiah's words provide perspective. In 9:2, he says, the people walked in darkness and they have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. In other words, Judah, in the midst of all this chaotic, horrible stuff that's happening with this massive army, 187,000 troops on your doorstep. In the midst of all of this, light is shining, hope is shining. And here's where the hope is. That to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and upon the shoulders of this child, will be the government.
10 · The pastor connects Isaiah's promise to God's covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, showing that Isaiah is not introducing a new hope but reminding Judah of God's earlier promise of an eternal Davidic dynasty
Isaiah is reminding Judah of God's promise, of God's promise to David, her greatest king. If you remember back in 2 Samuel 7:11, God said this to His servant David through the mouth of the prophet: Moreover Yahweh the LORD declares to you that Yahweh the LORD will make you, David, a house 'When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.'
11 · The pastor illustrates the significance of David's reign by showing how he most closely approximated the Edenic ideal of God's people under God's rule
When David reigns as king, he is the king who most closely resembles the restoration of God's people under God's rule in God's place. He's the closest they come to that ideal. And so God promises David, He commits to David, He covenants with David and says, "I promise you, David, your people will always sit under one of your descendants. I will rule, I promise. There will be one that comes from you who will sit on the throne."
12 · The pastor articulates the theological stakes of Judah's crisis: if Judah falls, does that mean God's word failed and God himself is false? This claim reframes the military threat as ultimately a test of God's faithfulness and truthfulness
So what this means when Judah is facing this massive superpower in front of them, and they're so outnumbered, it's just pitiful. Humanly speaking, they have no chance against Assyria. As they're looking, they're not just facing a geopolitical issue. It's not just a national issue, right? It's a theological issue. If Israel was conquered and now Judah, the southern kingdom, faces the same thing, what does that mean about God's promise to David? And if God's word is proved wrong, then doesn't that prove that God himself is false? How can the true God be proven false? How can He be shown to be no different from the false gods of their neighbors?
13 · The pastor reveals the unexpected nature of God's fulfillment: instead of an unending succession of kings, God promised one eternal King with an unending reign
Well, it's with that fear just kind of looming around them that Isaiah steps in to reassure Judah that her God is as faithful as ever. And the news is even better than they realized. He goes back to that promise made to David And as the revelation does throughout the Old Testament, He brings the picture into a little bit sharper focus. So where David and Judah expected a perpetual line of Davidic heirs, so in other words, there's just always going to be another heir of David on the throne. God's intent was that there would be one Davidic descendant who would be an eternal King. Not just an unending lineage, but an unending reign of one infinitely great King.
14 · The pastor identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy and the Davidic covenant, making the connection explicit
And so Jesus is that anticipated eternal King. His kingdom, His gospel makes us God's people living in God's place under God's rule forever. Verse 7, of the increase of His government and of peace. There will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
15 · The pastor contrasts human kingship with Christ's kingship, establishing that Jesus offers qualitatively different hope because his resurrection guarantees an unimpeded eternal reign
So here we see Jesus offering a hope that is qualitatively different. You see, hope in human kings or human rulers It always disappoints, right? Isn't that true? It always disappoints. Either your rulers or your kings or your leaders sin. We've seen plenty of that in American politics recently, right? Either they sin or they get conquered or their terms expire or they don't get reelected or they die. But not this king. Jesus is different. His resurrection ensures that nothing can or ever will impede his reign, not even death. And so when God raised Jesus up and seats him at God's right hand, he gives Jesus an eternal throne.
16 · The pastor unpacks the spatial dimension of Christ's infinite reign, showing that his kingdom extends universally over all creation
But that's only part of the infinite quality of this King. Christ's kingdom doesn't just refer to the fact that it goes on forever. It highlights the fact that Christ's kingdom has a universal reach. It extends to everything. To put it another way, King Jesus doesn't just rule forever, he rules everything. Verse 7, "Of the increase of His government, of the increase of His government, there will be no end." So you kind of think of that— physicists, I'm not a physicist, but they tell me physicists say that the universe is expanding. It's growing. So think about that in the context of Isaiah. Way before any physicist figured out that, you know what, the universe is still going. God says through his prophet, "Yeah, no big deal." This Messiah King, the increase of his reign will increase forever. The universe can grow all it wants. Christ's reign and rule will grow along with it, in front of it. The universe will only grow as Christ reigning over it dictates it to grow. Remarkable stuff.
17 · The pastor explains the theological significance of kingship in ancient Israel—the king represents God and exercises dominion on his behalf
The king, we have to understand, in ancient times and in Judah's mindset, he ruled over God's people as God's representative. Now remember, what does the prophet do? The prophet represents God to the people and speaks for God, right? The priest represents the people to God, makes sacrifice, prays for them, intercedes for them. The king, again, represents God to the people and reigns in God's stead. He's God's representative. So we see the way that these offices are go-betweens between the people and God. Well, that's what the king does. And so because he's God's representative, the king exercises dominion on God's behalf. That means when Jesus gets seated in the heavenly places, when He's given all the authority that comes with the throne room of heaven as the final King, as the infinite King, as the forever King, He receives infinite power and rule and dominion.
18 · The pastor illustrates the principle of a king's expanding realm as a sign of God's blessing, using David's historical reign as the example
And if you go back and read the story in 2 Samuel as it's describing the reign of David, one of the ways we see the picture of David's greatness is that David's kingdom grows. And one of the hallmarks of Israel being at its zenith is that under the reign of David and his son Solomon, the kingdom of Israel is at its peak. It covers the most amount of land that it will ever cover. And so there's this sense that David, as God's king, as his best king, humanly speaking, reigns the most amount of land. And as the kings diminish and sin and disobey, the kingdom shrinks, a representation of God's blessing shrinking with it, until this point where half of the kingdom has been completely cleaved off. David's kingdom increases because he has God's blessing, and where his realm stretches— so wherever David reigns The blessings and judgments of the king as God's man extend as well.
19 · The pastor makes a theological and anthropological claim: Jesus fulfills both Judah's specific historical need and the universal human yearning for someone to trust in
Well, Jesus is the answer to Judah's need, and he's the desire of every human heart. See, every human heart has a built-in, hardwired yearning to trust in someone or something or some regime. And in Jesus, we receive all of that perfectly in a totally different way than any earthly nation.
20 · The pastor illustrates the inevitability of earthly kingdoms' decline by citing Augustine's City of God and tracing the fall of empires from Rome to the British Empire to the United States
You want to read a great book for our time? Augustine's City of God. It's a book written as Rome Rome. So Rome, the Roman Empire that covers and rules all the known world, is falling to the barbarians. And with it, the hopes of all the people is falling as well. And there's this accusation, you know why Rome is falling? Because the emperor converted to Christianity. Because Christianity is now the religion of the state. And so there's these These hardliners, these traditionalists in the Roman citizenship that say, that's why we betrayed our gods and that's what we're falling. So to answer that, Augustine writes The City of God. And he compares the city of man to the city of God. And he writes, we don't place our hopes in the city of man. Because even the kingdom of David will shrink and become divided, humanly speaking. Rome, mighty Rome, can be conquered. The British Empire, what did they say about the British Empire? The first empire upon which the sun never set. That's a pretty wild thing to think about. What's the British Empire today? It's just a husk of its former glory. And the United States will wax and wane as well. But not Christ's kingdom.
21 · Concluding theological assertion for the first main point: Jesus's reign is coextensive with God's own power and dominion
King Jesus reigns forever, and he reigns with full authority and all God's power and all of God's limitless, infinite dominion. And as far as God can reach, as far as God can command, that's how far King Jesus rules. So Christ the King has an infinite reign.
22 · Transitional statement moving from point one (infinite reign) to point two (righteous reign)
Christ the King doesn't just reign infinitely, He reigns rightly. And as amazing as it sounds, you get this idea of Isaiah describing a Messiah, and it's remarkable to hear these descriptions. And we drop in here at chapter 9, there are multiple places in this book. Where Isaiah unpacks the nature of this rain. We're getting just a sliver of it this morning, just the faintest taste. But as incredible as it is to consider this infinite rain and its eternal time and its scope, that's only good news. It's only gospel. Good news, right? Under certain conditions.
23 · The pastor illustrates the importance of a king's character by describing Judah's experience under alternating righteous and unrighteous kings
Judah's in the midst of this seesaw experience. Remember we said there's 5 kings that kind of appear on the scene for Judah? One king dies right at the beginning, and that marks the beginning of the book. And then there's kings like Hezekiah, a godly king who prays to God for deliverance. And so God wipes out the Assyrian threat right in front of their eyes, right? And then there's kings like Manasseh. And Amon. Evil kings. Unrighteous kings. And so Israel is in the midst of this back and forth. They realize firsthand the character of the king matters. And if the character of an earthly king matters, how much does the character of an eternal king matter.
24 · The pastor transitions from Isaiah's historical context to Jesus's historical context, setting up the contrast between Jesus and Herod
See, the image becomes even more stark when we consider Christ's context. So if that's the original context where Isaiah is writing this in the midst of the Assyrian threat, consider then the context when Jesus fulfills this. So fast forward in history now, right? 8, 6, 5 BC, whenever it is that Jesus is born. He's not actually born on 0 BC, newsflash. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just means a monk way back in the day made his calculations wrong. When Jesus is born into that context, you see how significant it is to have a king who rules rightly. You think of that. Who's reigning when Jesus is born? Herod the Great.
25 · The pastor provides an extensive historical illustration of Herod's greatness, cataloging his architectural and engineering achievements
Herod the Great is the man who sits on the throne of Judea. He reigns as basically a vassal king of Caesar. He rules over Judea and Jerusalem and all of Palestine. And the title Herod the Great is actually historically, if we're not thinking morally, pretty fitting. We actually have more information on Herod, Herod the Great, than any other person from antiquity. Part of that is just all the writings that Josephus gives us and information he gives us about this character. We know a ton about Herod. And Herod did some amazing things. He fortified Israel's position in the ancient world. And so they sit in this strategic spot between Egypt and between Asia and between Europe. And so there's all this trade that just can naturally flow through them if there's not chaos. And Herod brings stability. Not only that, he's a skilled politician, and with that stability, He sees the importance of these massive building projects to raise the esteem of his empire. And so he's actually known as one of the greatest builders in the history of the world. There's one thing I read that said if they were still tracking the wonders of the ancient world, some of Herod's projects probably would have made the list. He makes amphitheaters, these massive outdoor structures for entertainment. He creates 3 or 4 fortresses like Masada. Remember Masada? He builds incredible walls around the city of Jerusalem to protect it. He builds aqueducts within the city to bring water and to take out sewage. This is in the ancient world. He builds Herodium, which is this artificial mountain that he creates so that he can place his palace on the top of it. He makes the temple and rebuilds the temple and fills it with marble and gold. And even unbelieving Greek philosophers, upon seeing the temple, marvel at its magnificence. The crown jewel is Caesarea. You got to realize that the shoreline upon which Palestine rests, it's just one beach of a thing. There's no harbors. There's no natural ports. And so that's going to be a huge impediment to Herod's rule. If he really wants to become this commercial center, he has to be able to receive ships. Well, what do you do? There's no port. You can't make a port unless you're Herod. Herod builds a port. He makes piers from hydraulic concrete. So in the ancient world, this guy pulls together engineers to drop concrete that hardens underwater so that he can build a pier. He creates these breaks within the water that keep out the waves. And so a coastline that for millennia has been uninhabitable by ships now has one of the greatest ports of the ancient world. Pretty great stuff. What a great king.
26 · The pastor reveals Herod's brutal nature through specific examples of his murders and cruelty, culminating in his scheme to force mourning at his death
Except Herod is brutal. He's infamous for his brutality. He kills anyone who opposes him. So he kills his father-in-law. The guy has 10 wives, several of whom he kills, including his favorite wife. At one point, he even kills 2 of his own sons. Because he's suspicious they're plotting for the throne. When he kills his two sons, that execution actually causes his ally Caesar Augustus to joke, "It was better to be Herod's pig than his son." The joke being Jews don't eat or kill pigs, right? It's a play on words. Better to be his pig, his hoos in the Greek, than his son, his huios. It's actually pretty clever. But you see the nature of Herod's evil in that statement. He's a bad, bad man. His insatiable ambition turns him into a monster. And so, yeah, he's great in the scheme of history, but he's hated by the people he rules. And he knows he's hated. And so he knows, as he approaches his death, he realizes no one is going to mourn him when he dies. And so what Herod does is schemes to arrest and execute scores of Jewish rabbis. As sort of a stick it in your eye, if you won't weep for me, you'll weep for something before I die.
27 · The pastor narrates Herod's response to the Magi and his subsequent massacre of the innocents, contrasting Herod's dread with the Magi's proper anticipation
It's within that context that we see the ultimate expression of degenerate rule as he reacts to the news of a baby being born in Bethlehem. Jerusalem. Herod's reaction upon hearing that the Magi were searching for a newly born King of the Jews. Can you imagine sitting there as these guys come from the east? Hey, Herod! Herod the Great! King Herod! We heard there's a new king born. Can you tell us where he is? These are obviously very wise individuals, but not very politically savvy individuals. But Herod's reaction is the antithesis of Advent. Where the Magi are an example of properly anticipating the arrival of this King, Herod dreads it. He doesn't see the Messiah as the hopeful fulfillment of centuries of longing. He sees the Messiah as a threat to his throne, just like his own sons, and some of his wives. So when Herod realizes the Magi have figured out his scheme and aren't going to return to tell him where the baby is, we know what happens, right? This powerful king, this great king, orders that every baby boy under the age of 2 in the town of Bethlehem and its surrounding area be put to death, be murdered.
28 · The pastor steps out of the exposition to acknowledge the congregation's recent national trauma—the Sandy Hook shooting—connecting Herod's massacre to contemporary grief
Now, the murder of innocent children is probably extra raw today, right? After the week we've seen in our country, on the heels of shootings in Connecticut, you consider kindergartners and first graders. The death of innocent children leaves even the most morally calloused individuals chilled.
29 · The pastor moves from the historical and contemporary examples of injustice to the theological problem they create: when evil is systemic and comes from those in power, where is justice? This establishes the necessity of a righteous eternal King
Now imagine if the person killing the innocent children is your own king. It's your own government. What hope do you have that there will be justice? You have none. Evil of this magnitude then and now, it causes hearts to cry out along with the writers of scripture. How long, O Lord? How long must the innocent die? How long must injustice happen in this world? And consequently, it brings new importance to the promise of Isaiah's words.
30 · The pastor expounds Isaiah 9:7, focusing on the promise that the Messiah will establish his kingdom with justice and righteousness
In verse 7, he says of Jesus, the Messiah, 'Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom.' Here's His purpose: 'To establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time and forevermore.' It's not enough that the Messiah will reign forever and reign everywhere. The good news of the kingdom is that this King, this forever King, will also be good.
31 · The pastor establishes Jesus's moral superiority even over David by claiming that while David was 'after God's heart,' Jesus 'has God's heart
When David was a man after God's own heart, where we have that with David, that's the description of David, right? David, a man after God's own heart. With his descendant, with the better David, we have Jesus, who has God's heart. He's the perfect fulfillment of Psalm 45:6. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, just like the context here, right? And the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. In other words, the symbol of your power, God, that Isaiah says will belong to this Messiah, this Jesus, the symbol —of Christ's power, his scepter will be a symbol of righteousness.
32 · The pastor establishes Jesus's categorical moral difference from all human rulers—not merely the best but perfect
Jesus isn't just the best king ever. He's the best king imaginable. He's categorically different from the reign of normal rulers. All that he does is right. Every action and every decision is perfect in wisdom and fair. He does nothing unethical. He does nothing immoral. There's no debates over just war with King Jesus. If King Jesus goes to war, then by its very nature, it must be just. And as we read in Scripture, there will come a time when Jesus will go to war. His judgments, Isaiah promises us, will be perfect. The title "Wonderful Counselor" means that the Redeemer was endowed with absolute wisdom. So you think of Solomon, right? Sort of a prototype of this wisdom. Solomon has the offer: "What do you want?" He asked the Lord to make him wise. And so people in the ancient Near East just wondered at Solomon's wisdom. Queen of Sheba even travels to observe the wisdom. Well, where people wonder at Solomon's wisdom, they will worship when confronted with Christ's.
33 · The pastor applies the doctrine of Christ's righteous reign to present suffering, arguing that believers find hope where unbelievers find despair because Jesus currently reigns and will return to consummate his righteous kingdom
Christ's kingly office supplies us, his people, with immense comfort and assurance. Even now, even on the tail end of a week like this, as we await His return in a world of innocent children dying, in a world where nation wars against nation, in a time of senseless murder, the killing of unborn babies, amidst sickness and economic uncertainty and even death. Even, Paul says, as all creation groans. That's what we saw this week, was creation groaning for redemption. When will it end? Well, even now, in the midst of all of that, Jesus reigns and He rules. And here's what that means. It means that where unbelievers see chaos and futility and are left devoid of all hope, Believers can actually find encouragement because the consummate groanings of a fallen world are preludes to the return of the King. The forever King is coming back, and when He returns, He will set all things right.
34 · Transitional statement moving to the third main point—Christ's incarnate reign
So Jesus Christ as King reigns infinitely, and He reigns rightly, and finally He also reigns incarnately. And we've touched on this several times in this Advent series, and I was sitting there in preparation, thinking, boy, I hope this isn't redundant. And then I just realized, you are stupid. If you think you are intelligent enough to have unpacked all that's going on in the Incarnation in a couple messages, then you are just the most foolishly arrogant person on earth. Now, obviously, I have limited intellectual powers, and so there's a limit to my ability to describe this, but there is infinite mystery involved in what's going on in the Incarnation. So I'm not worried about point 3. With the Spirit's help, we're going to see new things about King Jesus. Taking on flesh and being fully God.
35 · The pastor expounds the human side of the Incarnation, showing how the baby in the manger reveals God's initiative, humility, and condescension
So on the one hand, Isaiah reports that the Messiah will be this unassuming baby. In verse 6, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given. The gift of Christmas predicted. Jesus is nothing if not complex, right? Jesus is not simple. His birth and his infancy, even just the beginning of his story as a human, teach us profound things about God. What we celebrate at Christmas isn't the glory of Caesar Augustus, but the weakness and humility of a barn in Bethlehem. Mary's virginity reminds us we receive the miracle of the kingdom. And that's a significant thing. We don't advance the kingdom. That's God's work. We receive the kingdom. Emmanuel is God with us on God's initiative, the virgin birth tells us, on God's timing and on God's terms. But the manger also underscores the humiliation of the incarnation, the extent to which God condescends to set the story right.
36 · The pastor contrasts the infinite majesty of God with the vulnerability and humiliation of Jesus's birth—the infinite God confined to a womb, sleeping in a dirty feeding trough
There is a stunning incongruity we see in the Messiah's birth. He's sleeping in a feeding trough. Now, if you've ever been in a barn and you've seen a feeding trough, these aren't clean, nice things. I mean, cows are sloppy eaters. And they get snotty noses, they get over stuff. It's a gross thing. And that's where Jesus sleeps. And as he sleeps there, even before that, before he's born, We see the infinite God. The infinite God. Try and get your minds around 0.1% of that. You can't get your minds around 0.1% of infinity. The infinite God is confined to a teenager's womb. For 9 months. The one who clothed the lilies of the field gets wrapped in swaddling clothes. The firstborn of creation, which means the unique one of all creation, becomes a part of creation. The manger is a reminder that God made himself vulnerable so that he could overcome our vulnerability.
37 · The pastor illustrates the irony of the Christmas story: Caesar appears all-powerful while Jesus appears completely powerless, yet this reveals that the Messiah came not only to rule but to serve
And the irony is deep. You see, Caesar appears in this story as powerful, and Herod is powerful, right? But Caesar is more powerful. Caesar declares there will be a census, and so all the people, yes, even Herod the Great's people, will go to the city of their ancestors to be counted because Caesar is great and Caesar wants to do a census to find out just how great he is. How big a deal am I? And that's how the story starts with Caesar. He commands a census and the whole known world obeys. And ironically, Jesus lies helpless in his mother's arms, unable to even control his bowels. But by it, the Word of God reveals to us the nature of the Messiah even more than Isaiah saw. Jesus wouldn't just rule, he will also serve.
38 · The pastor expounds the divine titles given to the child in Isaiah 9:6, contrasting pagan kings' inflated self-descriptions with Isaiah's sober post-throne-room prophesying
And so as he reigns incarnately, we see that there is more to this child than meets the eye. In Isaiah 9:6, we see his name. So This child that's going to be born to us, this Son that is coming. Now in verse 6, he says, "This child's name," so this human's name, "shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Now it's a common practice in the ancient world that when a king rises to the throne, He brings with him special names upon his coronation. And so they would have these names that are meant to describe various qualities and accomplishments of the new monarch. But oftentimes, they're just crazy outlandish names that the monarch takes to themselves to kind of try and exaggerate their importance and make these exaggerated statements to pretend their glory and significance is great. Greater than what it is. So Israel's pagan neighbors oftentimes find their kings named as if they're gods. But Israel's not like her neighbors. And you need to realize that as you read Isaiah 9. And you need to remember who Isaiah is. What happened 3 chapters prior to this in Isaiah 6? Isaiah, being consecrated as God's mouthpiece, has a vision of God's throne room. The same throne room that this child will reign from. And in the vision of that throne room, Isaiah has an awesome and a horrible encounter with God's glory and His holiness. Remember his response? "Woe is me." I don't think Isaiah has forgotten that 3 chapters later. The God of Isaiah 6 does not share His glory with another. And so when Isaiah the prophet, as the mouthpiece of Yahweh the Lord, describes the Messiah, there is no exaggeration.
39 · The pastor unpacks each divine title: Wonderful Counselor (divine wisdom coexisting with human learning), Everlasting Father (God's actual Son on David's throne), and Prince of Peace (bearer of God's shalom to his people)
Wonderful Counselor. Here is one who has divine wisdom, divine wisdom to marvel at as you would marvel at the infinite wisdom of God. The baby Jesus, it says in the Gospels, will grow in wisdom and stature. You ever think about that? In Christ's humanity, he will grow. He will grow physically in stature, and he will grow in wisdom. He will learn how to tie his sandals. He will learn how to add and subtract. He will learn how to use the lathe in his father Joseph's carpentry shop. He will learn things about God. And yet also, he will perfectly know the mind of God. Here's a little application. I want you to think about that for the week. He's the everlasting Father reveals the true depths of God's promise to David. David doesn't get it. David's thinking, "This is great!" God has promised me, the true and living God, the only real God, the God who has just delivered country after country to me, who has conquered my enemies. I've seen His power and His might and His faithfulness to His word. That God has promised me I'm always going to have a lineage. There's always going to be one of my people on the throne of God's people. Good deal. No, you don't get it, David. 2 Samuel 7:14: "I, God, will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son." That's awesome! God's going to adopt my heirs. Sort of. He's also going to put His real Son upon your throne. The child will be more than just your descendant, David. As David confesses in one of the Psalms under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, your descendant will be your Lord. He's the Prince of Peace. It conveys the way that Jesus will instate God's peace, His shalom, His blessing upon all of God's people. In other words, as far as Jesus reigns, those who are His people, God's people, will know God's peace, His blessing, all His benefits.
40 · The pastor establishes the most audacious claim of Isaiah 9:6—the child will be called 'Mighty God
And none of those titles are as audacious as the last one we look at. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His name shall be called Mighty God. When Jesus claims this as an adult, you know how Israel responds? Blasphemy! The meaning of Immanuel that's described 2 chapters prior in Isaiah 7 becomes unmistakably clear. Isaiah is not just saying, "God with us," as if there's going to be a child that is uniquely connected to God. No. God with us. In Christ, we don't just have a human foundation for our hope. We have a Sovereign who is mighty. A sovereign who is God. For all our vulnerabilities, we have a Messiah with similar flesh, so he can sympathize with us in all our weaknesses. But our hopes are secure in him because behind the veil of that flesh, behind the veil of that vulnerability, in a mystery beyond our capacity to understand, is the invulnerability of God. Of Almighty God.
41 · The pastor narrates the Magi's journey from the perspective of their likely disappointment—expecting a capital city and finding a backwater village, expecting a palace and finding a stable
On first glance, the manger scene must have been a disappointment to the Magi, even when they talk with the scribes, right, in Jerusalem. And where is the child to be born? In the city of David. Whoa, David, yeah, that great king you guys had in the past. We've heard about him. In the city of David, in Bethlehem? All right, let's get on the donkey. Let's get on the donkeys, get on the camels. Let's go. They start riding, and they don't have GPSs, so they're riding along and run into some people on the outskirts. "Hey, we're looking for the City of David." "Oh, it's right there." "No, no, the City of David, not this backwater town." And then they get there. And here's this little baby who appears to have more power. Caesar? Herod? Or a baby sleeping in a stable's poverty?
42 · The pastor reveals the heavenly drama occurring simultaneously with the earthly manger scene—Daniel 7's vision of the Son of Man receiving eternal dominion from the Ancient of Days is being fulfilled
But just as there is mystery behind the veil of flesh, there is a drama being played out behind the curtain of heaven. This little baby is the fulfillment fulfillment of Daniel 7. Daniel said, "And I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man, and He came to the Ancient of Days." The Ancient of Days. The true and living God. And he was presented before him. And to him, this Son of Man, was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples and nations and languages should serve him. And his dominion, the Son of Man, given to him by the Ancient of Days, the true and living God, his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. So yeah, it's a little baby and all of heaven is rocking with a party. The Son of Man has become a man. It's happening. The Ancient of Days, his perfect plan from eternity past is being carried forward. The turning point of history is starting in that manger.
43 · The pastor explains the radical political and theological significance of the early church's confession 'Jesus is Lord'—it was a treasonous public declaration that Jesus, not Caesar, held ultimate authority
When believers in the first century church, when first century Christians addressed each other, they would use the phrase, "Jesus is Lord." Almost like a secret handshake, right? Right? You know you're talking to a believer when they address you, "Jesus is Lord!" That's not like a cute empty slogan. That's not like an ichthus or a Jesus fish on the bumper of your car. It's different, and I'm not speaking against that. You see, Caesar rules the world, and Caesar demands tribute. He demands tribute in the taxes you pay. He demands tribute in the way that you're called to worship him. You can worship your own gods, but you've got to also worship Caesar, right? And he even demands tribute in the way you greet people on the street. And so good citizens of Rome declare to each other, "Caesar is Lord!" To give a comparison, it's really the Roman equivalent of a "Heil Hitler!" If you're really going to rebel, You don't say it. You certainly don't replace it with a different slogan. When believers address each other with the declaration, "Jesus is Lord," they are publicly and boldly and treasonously declaring Christ has our souls. Allegiance. Caesar might sit enthroned in Rome and he might command his legions, but Jesus sits enthroned in heaven and he commands the hosts of heaven.
44 · The pastor corrects a common theological misunderstanding: confessing Jesus as Lord does not make him Lord but recognizes what is already true
And so when we confess Jesus is Lord, you guys think about this, when you say Jesus is Lord, you're not making Jesus Lord. We can kind of get that a little mixed up in our theology. It's important to understand When Paul calls us to confess Jesus as Lord in order to appropriate salvation, it's a recognition. I submit myself to his lordship. But that doesn't mean as you confess it that you're making Jesus Lord. Jesus is Lord whether you confess it or not. Your confession is a recognition of what already is. The Scriptures declare, The Lord has established His throne in heaven in Psalm 103:19, and His kingdom rules over it. We don't make Christ anything, not during this Advent season, not ever. By God's divine decree, by the nature of who He is as the Son who does the Father's good pleasure, He is Lord over creation. He sits enthroned in heaven and He reigns as the rightful Sovereign over all the universe.
45 · The pastor concludes by recapitulating the sermon's argument through the lens of Advent hope and a beloved hymn
Advent is a season of hope because the baby became a man, and though that man was killed, He was He was also raised. And once He was raised, He was crowned as the High King of Heaven. A perfect provision for all our needs. Love the words of the hymn: Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, not her armies, not her walls, Assyria can tear those down, Babylon will later. Hope of all the earth thou art, dear desire of every nation. Universal kingdom, right? Joy of every longing heart. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone. By thine all-sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart. Christ is the King. Jesus is Lord. Would you bow your heads?