“A Son to Light the Darkness”
Isaiah 9:1-7
December 14, 2008
Warden Assembly of God
Pastor John L. Harper
Introduction: “Unca Frank’s Christmas!” Isaiah 9: 6-7 Key verse(s): 6a: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” Franklin Chaney was by all accounts what you would call a crank. For years he had lived alone in his upper flat, Vera having gone to be with the Lord many years past. He was pretty set in his ways and by all accounts, especially those of his nieces and nephews as well as his own children, you might say he was eccentric on the verge of “old crab.” His brothers and sisters had passed away and only Frank was left to represent that particular layer of family. He had never been one much for talk or anything frivolous or loud. He attended all the family gatherings but sat on a dining room chair in some shadowed corner of the room with a beer in hand not saying much. The little ones usually gave Unca Frank a wide berth. Where others stood he seemed to loom. Frank had worked hard all of his life. Married young and barely able to keep an apartment and a bride on the meager salary of a warehouse clerk, he had to work two jobs just to keep things going. The babies came quickly and before long Frank and Vera were Frank, Vera and family. Frank never quite made it in the way of success. Advancement for him was a nickel raise or an extra day-off in the course of twelve months. He worked the warehouse pretty much of his whole life finishing off with a retirement party at sixty-five attended by fresh-faced managers and staff who never really knew Frank. In fact, most had never even had said hello to him. But that old second job hung around for a while well into Frank’s seventies. All his life he had gone to work early in the morning before most folks were barely stirring. Then home for dinner in the late afternoon and back to work again. For years he had been a security guard; working a part-time evening shift that got him home by nine or ten just in time to see the kids off to bed and collapse himself only to get up six or seven hours later and start all over again. As the years went by and the kids grew up, went to school, got married and left home and town, Frank trudged on through life. He and Vera took an occasional vacation but they really never even had had a decent honeymoon. With the nest empty they thought that perhaps now life might be kinder to them. But then Vera got sick and there were those terrible medical bills. There just didn’t seem to be a let-up. So, Frank trudged on until it seemed that life, family, even marriage had passed him by. When Vera died he sold the house and moved into the upper flat. All that was left was reflecting upon what might have been, of the life that got away and just couldn’t be retrieved. So, apart from family gatherings, Frank spent his time mostly alone. There was Vera’s cat and parakeet to keep him company. The kids visited from time to time but when their families got bigger, their time got smaller. Frank grew old as others grew tired and died. He outlasted them all and often wondered why. If long life was a reward he couldn’t figure out what he was being rewarded for. As a husband he had given it his best shot, but had missed the mark. As a father he worked hard to provide food and warmth but provided little in the way of support or love. No, he had been pretty much of a failure and he knew it. That’s why when he attended those family gatherings he loomed large but quiet in the corner. He didn’t say much because he didn’t feel he had much to say. He missed his wife and he missed his kids. But, most of all, he missed life. Bitterness has knocked on the door of his heart and he swung the door wide open almost penitently. In a way it felt good to him as it slowly seeped into those lonely chambers. When it had finally filled them, all thoughts of loneliness, grief and, most of all, remorse, were pushed out. He finally felt some relief from the troubling “but for’s” and “what if’s” that had plagued him so long. It was now Frank’s eighty-second Christmas and the family had gathered at his nephew’s house. After dinner Frank found his place in the corner, anchored himself silently and waited for the time to pass when it would finally be appropriate to ask for hat and coat and go home. But there was one more amenity to suffer until that time could come. There was a new baby in the family, a little great-grandson. Baby passing, a family tradition, was about to take place. The little bundle passed from arm to arm and lap to lap. No one seemed to notice much but kept talking and laughing the entire passage. That is until it came to Unca Frank’s turn. Plop! Eight pounds of sweetness found its way into his lap and Unca Frank stood blankly staring into the face of life itself. A single tear crossed his furrowed check, a lonely crossing since none had passed that way for many years. He picked the baby up and kissed it, never realizing how sweet a kiss could be. His was a bittersweet kiss, bitter in its regret and sweet in its promise. He stayed for supper that night. He didn’t say much but all could tell that somehow Unca Frank had changed. Before he went home he straightened a few ornaments on his nephew’s tree and asked to hold the baby one more time. He liked the feeling it gave him. Somehow he felt closer to Vera and the kids. “Thanks!” he whispered to the baby as he handed him to his mother. “And, Merry Christmas!” “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”
Contributed by: Mark Brunner
I. BREAKING FORTH OF LIGHT (vs. 1-2)
A. No more gloom
1. The land that has known oppression, will be oppressed no more
a. oppression can not survive in the midst of freedom
b. oppression can not thrive when the chains have been cast off
2. The land that has been promised to suffer because of sins will be given another chance.
a. Zebulun and Napthali are the lands that are in Gentile territory
b. These lands are surrounded and interspersed with Gentiles
c. These lands were know to be seditious and rebellious
THEY ARE FAR FROM JERUSALEM BUT NOT FAR FROM GOD!!
3. The land that has been humbled will be exalted out of obscurity
a. This is the untamed region, the uncivilized land
b. This is the plan of God to exalt a place and send His presence
(John 1:44) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
(John 1:45) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
(John 1:46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
B. No more darkness
1. The people of this land have been walking in darkness
a. Walking means living, and participating in an lifestyle
b. All they have known is a result of their actions
2. The people of this land have seen a great light
a. There has been a breaking forth of truth and knowledge
b. There has been hope given to the hopeless
c. There is rejoicing to those who only knew misery
3. The people of this land who are bound can be delivered
C. No more life in the shadows
1. The light has dawned in the midst of darkness
a. they have been given comfort of their deliverance
b. Messiah will come to this dark region
2. The light has come to those who only knew shadows and not realities
a. the reality will overshadow them with peace and not fear
(Matt 4:13) And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
(Matt 4:14) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
(Matt 4:15) The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
(Matt 4:16) The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
3. The light has come to those who lived closest to death with nothing to live for
a. instead of ignorance truth will shine in their hearts
b. instead of misery there will be comfort
c. instead of gloom, there will be joy
Application: Are you living your life in the shadows? You are not far from God!
II. BREAKING OF THE ROD OF OPPRESSION(vs. 3-5)
A. You have enlarged the nation
1. It is made strong and mighty
2. its joy has been increased
3. its people rejoice before you
(Psalm 126:5) They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
(Psalm 126:6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
a. they rejoice like those at harvest time
b. they rejoice like those who are plundering the enemy
(2Ch 20:25) And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.
(2Ch 20:26) And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.
(2Ch 20:27) Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
(2Ch 20:28) And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.
B. You have shattered the yoke of oppression
1. This victory is of the Lord, not of man
a. it will not be accomplished by numbers or might of man
(Proverbs 21:31) The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.
(Judges 7:19) So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
(Judges 7:20) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
(Judges 7:21) And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
b. it will be a manifestation of God’s power
2. This victory has made the victim the victor
a. the rod of punishment will be destroyed
b. the rod of the oppressor will lose its power over you
THE ANOINTING WILL BREAK THE YOKE OF BONDAGE ON YOUR LIFE!!
3. This victory will set the captive free
C. You have defeated our enemy
1. The enemy will be crushed with his own boot
a. he will be destined for the fire
b. he will be fuel for the fire
2. The enemy will stripped of his armor and garments
Example: Goliath’s sword was hung in the temple of God
3. The enemy that had the blood of others on his garments will have his blood spilled.
Application: What is it that is keeping you bound? Will you let Jesus break that weight off of your neck?
III. BIRTH OF THE SON(vs. 6-7)
A. He is given for us
1. A child is born
a. He came as a defenseless child
b. He came just like us, to save us
2. A son is given
a. He was sent to remove the darkness for us
b. He was sent as God’s gift to mankind
(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 3:17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(John 3:18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(John 3:19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
3. A government is put upon Him
a. The government is vested in Him
b. Great burdens are born on His shoulders
c. The government is to be upheld by His might and strength
B. He will be called
1. Wonderful
a. that which brings amazement
b. something that causes one to be in wonder
c. that which brings admiration
“For the Messiah was wonderful in all things. It was wonderful love by which God gave him, and by which he came; the manner of his birth was wonderful; his humility, his self-denial, his sorrows were wonderful; his mighty works were wonderful; his dying agonies were wonderful; and his resurrection, his ascension, were all suited to excite admiration and wonder.” (Barnes Notes e-sword)
2. Counselor
a. one who pleads for the guilty
b. one qualified to advise princes and kings
3. Mighty God
a. one who prevails against His enemies,
b. one who destroys our enemies
c. strong warrior fighting for His people
(1Tim 3:16) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
(John 1:1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
4. Everlasting Father
a. Father of eternity
b. Father of the future age
5. Prince of Peace
a. dispenser of peace
b. one who rules by peace
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
One of America’s greatest poets is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The year 1860 found Longfellow happy in his life, enjoying a widening recognition, and elated over the election of Abraham Lincoln which he believed signaled the triumph of freedom and redemption for the nation. The following year the Civil War began. On July 9, 1861 Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, was near an open window sealing locks of her daughter’s hair, using hot sealing wax. Suddenly her dress caught fire and engulfed her with flames. Her husband, sleeping in the next room, was awaked by her screams. As he desperately tried to put out the fire and save his wife, he was severely burned on his face and hands. Fanny died the next day.
Longfellow’s severe burns would not even allow him to attend Fanny’s funeral. His white beard, which so identified with him, was one of the results of the tragedy – the burn scars on his face made shaving almost impossible. In his diary for Christmas day 1861 he wrote, “How inexpressibly sad are the holidays.” In 1862 the toll of war dead began to mount and in his diary for that year Longfellow wrote of Christmas, “A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me.” In 1863 his son who had run away to join the Union army was severely wounded and returned home in December. There is no entry in Longfellow’s diary for that Christmas. But on Christmas Day 1864 – at age 57 – Longfellow sat down to try to capture, if possible, the joy of the season. He began: I heard the bells on Christmas day. Their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men. As he came to the third stanza, he was stopped by the thought of the condition of his beloved country. The Battle of Gettysburg was not long past. Days looked dark, and he probably asked himself the question, “How can I write about peace on earth, good will to men in this war-torn country, where brother fights against brother and father against son?” But he kept writing – and what did he write? And in despair I bowed my head: “There is no peace on earth”, I said, for hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. It seems as if he could have been writing for our kind of day. Then, as all of us should do, he turned his thoughts to the One who gives true and perfect peace, and continued writing: Then peeled the bells more loud and deep; “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep! The wrong shall fail; the right prevails, with peace on earth, good will to men.” And so there came into being that marvelous Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”
Contributor: Jeff Skinner
c. one who does not delight in conquest or blood
d. one who’s reign will put an end to war
“There is no peace without the Prince of Peace.” (Augustine of Hippo)
C. He will establish His kingdom
1. There will be no end of His government
a. He will have an unlimited reign of peace
b. There will be no limit to peace
2. He will reign on David’s Throne
(Luke 1:31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
(Luke 1:32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
(Luke 1:33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
a. He will reign over the people of God
b. His reign will be far extending and prosperous
c. His reign will be a just and right administration
3. He will establish His kingdom on a firm foundation
Application: Have you recognized and accepted the greatest gift this season? That gift is Jesus whom God gave to save us from our sins.
CONCLUSION: For Always
In 1994 two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on Biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments, and a large orphanage. It was nearing the holiday season for the orphans to hear for the first time the traditional Christmas story. They told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where Jesus was born and placed in the manger.
Throughout the story, the children, according to one of the Americans, “sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word.” As a follow-up activity to the story, each child was given three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manager. Each child was also given a small paper square; cut from yellow napkins which the children tore into strips the paper and carefully laid them in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel from a thrown away nightgown were used for the baby’s blanket. From pieces of tan felt a doll-like baby was made. As they made their way around the room to observe the children this is what one of the Americans noted, “All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy’s manger, I was startled to see, not one but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger.” The observer goes on to note that Misha very accurately recalled the story that had been told until he came to the part where Mary put Jesus in the manger. “Then Misha,” it is noted, “started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, “And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no momma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, “If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?” And Jesus told me, “If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him – for always.” As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon or abuse him, someone who would stay with him – FOR ALWAYS!”
Contributor: Jim Kane
Gordon McDonald tells this story: “A Nigerian woman who is a physician at a great teaching hospital in the United States came out of the crowd today to say something kind about the lecture I had just given. She introduced herself using an American name. ‘What’s your African name?’ I asked. She immediately gave it to me, several syllables long with a musical sound to it. ‘What does the name mean?’ I wondered. She answered, ‘It means “Child who takes the anger away.”’ When I inquired as to why she would have been given this name, she said, ‘My parents had been forbidden by their parents to marry. But they loved each other so much that they defied the family opinions and married anyway. For several years they were ostracized from both their families. Then my mother became pregnant with me. And when the grandparents held me in their arms for the first time, the walls of hostility came down. I became the one who swept the anger away. And that’s the name my mother and father gave me.’” McDonald concluded, “It occurred to me that her name would be a suitable one for Jesus.” Yes, when Jesus came, he was the child who took the anger away between us and God. God’s wrath melted, and our anger at God was over. He brought us together. He was the child who takes the anger away — or as we know him: The Prince of Peace.
Rodney Buchanan
