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.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
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.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
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.
Now… flash back to Isaiah…
Verse 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. Here, the Israelites hear exactly what they wanted to hear… not only is the Christ going to come… but God is going to deliver them from their oppressors. But also built into this, is the caution and hint of a savior unlike any other. Let’s sneak a peak a few verses onward into verse six:
Verse 6 and 7 –
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
5) Not the hero they expected! (Christ conquer death/sin)
What does this sound like? It sounds like Christmas doesn’t it? There is the hint of things to come in this text from Isaiah… behind his writing are the events leading up to the events that very first Christmas in the little town of Bethlehem. Right now the Israelites fear Babylon and Assyria… but a new nation was being born… Rome! And we know how that works out in the end for Israel… Rome will be an empire unlike any other they have gone up against. So the next time their voices rise in protest crying “Oh where oh where is our light?” the light shall come… in the form of a baby in a manger.
But with this good news, Isaiah reminds them time and time and time again that this messiah WILL be a conqueror… just not the kind of conqueror they are hoping for. They want a military savior and they will get a spiritual savior. They want someone to conquer Rome and they will get someone to conquer death and sin. They want someone who will bring peace to their land, and they will get someone who will bring peace to their lives. Is it any wonder then… that Christ was SO rejected by those who waited for him for so very… very long! They took one look at him and said, “that is not my savior!”
6) Good News! Christ… the hero.
Do we ever make that same mistake? It wouldn’t be hard. In our lives and in our world… we hunger for deliverance just as much as the Israelites. We build our savior up in our minds and give him a checklist of all the things we want OUR savior to accomplish, all of the things we want OUR savior to conquer, all of the things we want OUR savior fight for and to stand for. And then, we may be disappointed with the savior we are actually given.
7) Not the hero we expect! (Christ conquers us!)
Now, make no doubt that Christ is a conqueror AND a great one at that. He is a light… a light of great hope for US just as much as he was a light of hope for Israel. He conquers death, he conquers sin… and we are definitely ok with that… but here is where I want to push us all a little.
Besides sin and death, the single most surprising thing that Christ conquered was US! Can anything else in all creation get us to look past our own desires the way that Christ does? In this way scripture takes on a whole new light when it declares this profound new truth, that in Christ we are “truly reborn.” Suddenly… all we are and all we strive for is changed in an instant as we truly begin to live for Christ instead of living for ourselves.
Christ doesn’t change for us… we change for Christ! We don’t define Christ… Christ defines us! And that is a miracle… because look how stubborn we are… about as stubborn as the nation Israel! And yet when we follow Christ… a change happens. Against all odds… we change. And THIS is the hope that is declared to all of us. In the darkness… there is light: a savior of such great ability that he can rise above all the troubles of the world, and bring us out of the darkness with him. If we let him! Besides sin and death, the single most surprising thing that Christ conquered was US! After that, we are never… ever… the same.
But, should we really be surprised at all? I mean, Isaiah DID warn us… he is Christ the conqueror!
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
