Sermon Central
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The Light Revealed As Conquerer Series
Contributed by Spencer Homan on Apr 8, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: This is a sermon series focusing on learning more about Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 9:1-4 NIV
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-- 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
“The Light Revealed: As Conqueror”
1) Hero intro.
Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Ironman, Wonder Woman… what do they all have in common? They are all heroes! Heroes thrill us… they excites our imagination. They make for bestsellers and box office hits. They occupy our attention and engage our fascination. But why? Why do these men and woman occupy so much of our attention? It is because the world constantly and consistently yearns for a savior.
2) Our need for a hero.
Think about it for just one moment. The world as it is, our lives as they are… imperfect, flawed, troubled, worried, sometimes even in danger. We could use a few more heroes. Our situation begs for a savior. And so throughout history we have been enthralled with tales of mythical heroes, men and women of such great ability that they could rise above all the troubles of the world, and bring us out of the darkness with them. The unfortunate thing… is that all of these characters told about in stories are mythical… figures of fiction. There is no Batman watching over us in the night. There is no Superman flying above us waiting to swoop in to save the day. There only seems to be this great darkness looming, and us… longing for something better.
It begs the question… where is the light? It is a question that the Israelites knew well during the time of the prophet Isaiah.
3) Israel’s need for a hero.
They were the chosen people… God’s beloved, but it hadn’t felt that way in a very long time. It was a dark time, the Babylon Empire had taken them captive… and they were all asking that same question… where is the light? Where is our hero?
That is where the prophet Isaiah comes in. As we discussed last week, he is a voice of hope to this lost generation. In many ways… Isaiah is a voice of hope to every generation. But specifically to THIS generation, he writes words of hope. While, last week… we talked about the savior coming as servant… today the tone is very different:
Verse 1 – Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. Isaiah begins by saying there is hope! He writes that deliverance is coming… that… even though there is a huge mass of distress… it will NOT swallow you whole! This is a different altogether than last week. And if that were not enough… Isaiah continues to push it…
Verse 2 – The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. One thing you have to understand that is going on in this text, is that Isaiah is writing in Hebrew using a future tense to his words… these events haven’t happened yet but he wants them to keep them right in front of them. In other words, Christ has not yet come to Israel… but he is coming… make no mistake… he is coming. He reminds them… he reminds us… that no matter what darkness befalls them… they shall see the light of God.
The light of God… that is what this entire month is about. Trying to understand that light… trying to learn about that light… trying to find that light in our own lives. And who is the light of God?
4) Good News! Christ… the hero.
5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
