For Unto Us A Child Is Born Series

Sunday, December 3, 2006

Text: Isaiah 9: 6 – “For unto us a Child is Born”

Isaiah bursts into the Advent Season with these profound words uttered in prophesy in the 8th Century B.C.E. These words have the authenticity of one who has experienced the wonder and majesty of God’s presence in their life.

Too often people seek to speak a word from the Lord, even though there appears to be no visible evidence that the light of God’s countenance has shined in their life. When you have met God for yourself: you should move out of life’s dark shadows into the marvelous light.

There should be a change in your lifestyle meaning that what you do should be different, were you go should be beneficial, and what you say should be encouraging.

There should be a change in your lifework meaning what you put your hands to should enhance the Kingdom of God, what you put your heart in should bless the people of God, and what you set your mind to should usher people into God’s presence.

There should be a change in your lifeline meaning that you should depend on God’s word, you should develop a God like mind, and you should be assured of God’s provisions for your life.

This is what happens to Isaiah in the year that king Uzziah died, he met the Lord and in that moment he realized that God is Holy, Holy, Holy and that the whole world is full of His Glory.

That’s important because those were dark days in the life of God’s people. Northern Israel was under siege and Damascus had been captured. Judah is invaded and Ninevah and Jerusalem is destroyed. These where dark days people where being uprooted from there homeland and all vestiges of what was known as communal living was gone.

Foreign gods and idols where being erected everywhere and in the midst of these tribulations; Isaiah experiences a conversion. If you have met the Lord there should be no doubt that a wonderful change has been wroth in your life since Jesus has come into your heart.

So Isaiah experiences a conversion that gives clarity to his sinfulness and urgency to the need for God’s righteousness.

He hears the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and Isaiah responds by saying here am I, send me.

What better testimony can one give during this Advent season than to give to God a willing spirit to serve, to proclaim, to share, or to do what God needs done to redeem his world from destruction?

What better testimony can one give during this Advent season than to respond to God’s call by saying here am I, send me?

We find ourselves with a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Our terror alerts are at an all time high. We are afraid even of the shadows because we don’t know what lurking beyond our view.

We find ourselves not only in a world spinning out of control - evolving not into community; but into anarchy. There seems to be no center. Life’s anchors seem to have given way. Where are the absolutes in life? What can we depend on? Where can you go for assurances and affirmation?

These times are no different than the days of Isaiah. Mean spiritedness, violence running amuck, people of little faith, and people are ruled by dark forces of power.

Isaiah is touched by God in unique way. And God gives him an assignment. Speak to the power of the day and also, speak to my people.

You find Isaiah speaking truth to power. You also find him encouraging the people with prophesy. He tells them if you are looking for a sign from the Lord. Look no further!

He calls them to remembrance. Don’t you remember what happened at Midian.

When it was time to do battle with the Midianites, the Lord told Gideon that he had too many people with him to go into battle. Ask the people who are afraid? Those that where afraid were able to leave. The Lord then said, you still have too many people to go into battle with the Midianites. If you take too many people and you win, you will think it is because of your might. I want you to know that it is the Lord who delivers you in battle. Take your men down to the water and those who boweth down on the knees – leave them. And take the men who lap the water like a dog. And there remained only three hundred men. Gideon took that three hundred men and went against the Midianites and the Amalekites who where their allies and with the sound of the trumpet and the noise of pitchers breaking where able to destroy all the enemies of the Lord.