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well good evening welcome to the evening service and I'd ask you to turn your Bibles please for our cults worship to psalm 115 psalm 115 it was a song we sang this morning but I thought it tied in well with our passage in Ezekiel chapter 31 so we might tell read this song as a call to worship with our future Bible reading in a few moments from Ezekiel 31 so psalm 115 be a verse 1 not into us O Lord not in to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy because of your truth why should the Gentiles say so where is their God but our God is in heaven he does whatever he pleases their idols are silver and gold the work of man's hands they have mouths but they do not speak eyes they have that they do not see they have ears but they do not hear noses they have but they do not smell they have hands but they do not handle feet they have but they do not walk nor do they mutter through their throat those who make them are like them so is everyone who trusts in them o Israel trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield o house of Aaron trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield you who fear the Lord trust in the Lord he is their help and their shield the Lord has been mindful of us he will bless us he will bless the house of Israel he will bless the house of Aaron he will bless those who fear the Lord both small and great may the lord give you increase more and more you and your children may you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth the heaven even the heavens are the Lord's but the earth he has given to the children of men the dead do not praise the Lord nor any who go down into silence but we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore praise the Lord amen well let's turn in our song editor's to Salter number 134 134 I'll ask you stand please let's go to God in prayer and ask his blessing to be upon our meeting time here this evening let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come into your holy presence this evening through your son the Lord Jesus Christ are grateful we our Father for the fact that we have an advocate with the father and the person of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and as we gather together as the church here on earth we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bend your ear for Christ's sake towards our prayers are singing the worship of your great and holy and high name we pray Lord that you would come amongst us this evening that you would Tabernacle here at free grace baptist church this evening but we are humbled to think of the fact that we that we have this wonderful privilege this wonderful opportunity to praise the God of heaven and earth the god was above all other gods the God who does here the God who does speak the God who moves and the God who is sovereign over all the affairs of this world sovereign over the affairs of government sovereign over the affairs of families and individuals and and even churches and how we praise you for that you're also sovereign over individual hearts and Lord you call individuals to yourself and it's by your sovereign elekton love and will that that men and women call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Lord we're grateful this night for having been found in the Lord Jesus Christ for having forgiveness of sins we pray Lord that you would be pleased to to give to us your presence here this night we pray that you would empower the preaching a little bit later on that father might come with with power and with might because it has your Holy Spirit to deliver it to our hearts we pray they might find its mark and each one of our hearts and the Lord you'd be pleased to bless that word here this evening bless our pastor pastor can we created she would strengthen him enable him Lord to to lay aside all distractions and that he would have that that unction from on high and that help from you to to hedge him in and speak true that Lord we would be built up in your Holy Word this year this evening Lord we do pray your blessing to be upon our pastor Butler this evening as well that you would continue to strengthen him from day to day and from week to week we pray Lord that you would be pleased to give to him all that he stands in need if we prayed you'd bless and spiritually as well during this time off that he might be able to meditate upon the things of eternity and that Lord you would bless bless his own soul and caused these these weeks to be a benefit to to his own soul we do pray where we ask your blessing to be upon us as a fellowship we think of the the Sri Bible study we pray Lord your blessing upon that that you would be pleased to have to just own own these Bible studies and owned the future as well of that of that small work we pray Lord that if it be your will it would grow into a into a church that would be established and that part of this Laura mainland and again Lord we know that man makes his plans but you bring them to pass and so we just commit that into your hands we thank you for those that are that are expecting little ones we pray Lord your blessing be upon upon each of those our lives as well as their mothers and fathers we pray Lord that in due time they may be born within in strength and in health and that you would be pleased to just that unite those families together Lord we brought we pray your blessing upon those in our in our congregation who are ill who are sick we pray Lord that you would strengthen them in body strengthen them in mind cause them to to grow in grace and grow and love for you during the during this time they are ill we pray below that you would just mend them and cause them to to be strengthened bodily physically spiritually in every way motion alee as well and we pray both at it due time they may be back amongst us and worshiping you the true and living God or how we pray your blessing this night to be upon the persecuted Church we think of those who who meet in places around this this earth father were they do not have the freedom that we enjoy here in Canada how we praise You Father for that freedom we praise you that you've given it to us and we pray that you would be pleased to to bless those who govern and watch over us that we might be unmolested that we might in future days and years be able to enjoy this freedom of meeting together and and being unmolested we pray Lord for those who who do suffer persecution for those who are imprisoned even this night we pray Lord that you would come to them in power and in might a blessing with your spirit we pray that you would bring to the remembrance the Word of God they might be hedged in by that truth we pray Lord it would boy their souls and cause them to to mount up with praise and adoration to you and the fact that they've been considered worthy to suffer as Christ suffered for the for this for the sake of the cross and so Lord we pray that you administer to those in prison minister family members outside in and cause your church even in these difficult times father to to continue to march forward and and the Church of Christ would continue to to move forward the church militant that it would continue to see more and more churches planted around this earth and see more and more sinners come to a knowledge of the Savior and how we pray that you would that you would do your work all over this earth and so Lord we just ask your blessing now to be upon our meeting time we thank you that we can come before you we thank you Lord that we have these 66 books and we pray your blessing upon the Word of God this night the Lord you would own the word cause us to to to bend our knee to the sovereign King that you are and we do pray Lord that you would have your way here in this place this night bless us with your spirit we do pray it's and Jesus precious name we pray amen please turn with me you're in your hymn books to the back of the hymn book the back of the hymn book should have a I should I hit him taped in there and it's How Great Thou art How Great Thou art I'll ask you to stand and please turn with me your Bibles for our our reading of God's Word it's easy kial chapter 31 Ezekiel chapter 31 and if you've noticed the last couple of weeks I it's been an indictment of Egypt the country the nation of Egypt Pharaohs specifically and the last two chapters have certainly read that indictment and certainly in passing us in passing a sentence upon a criminal its usual to consult precedent and that's ultimately what has been the the charges have been laid in chapter chapter 29 and chapter 30 and so now we're going to look in chapter 31 at a precedent what happened to others in a similar circumstance as feral here he's being charged with with while the charges will be read and and certainly his his indictment his chart his his penalty to follow will be similar to others so it's as a warning that he would see these things happen to other nations in the past and the same things will happen to him and that we would read our scriptures and have the same sense that what God was against the Old Testament God is still against in the new test what God loved in the Old Testament God still loves in the New Testament and that we would get that in our minds I'm a couple of comments at the end but just to kind of set the stage here of feral standing indicted at the bar of divine justice for his ultimate for his pride in his haughtiness so chapter 31 verse 1 now it came to pass in the eleventh year in the third month on the first day of the month that the word of the Lord came to me saying son of man say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude whom are you like in your greatness indeed as Syria was a cedar in Lebanon with fine branches that shaded the forest and of high stature and its top was among the thick boughs the waters made it grow underground waters gave it height with their rivers running around the place where it was planted and sent out rivulets to all the trees of field therefore tight was exalted above all the trees of the field its boughs were multiplied its branches became long because of the abundance of water as its scent at them out all the birds of the heavens made their nests in their vows under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young and in the shadow all great nations made their in its shadow all great nations made their home thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches because its roots reached to abundant waters the Cedars in the garden of God in the Garden of God could not hide it the fir trees were not like its boughs and the chestnut trees were not like its branches no tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches so that all the trees of Eden envied it that were in the garden of God therefore thus says the Lord God because you have increased in height and it set its top among the the thick vows and its heart was lifted up and in its height therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the Mighty one of the nation's and he shall surely deal with it i have driven it out for its wickedness and Aliens the most terrible of the nation's have cut it down and left it its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys its boughs live broken by all the rivers of the land and all in all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it on its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens and all the beasts of the field will come to its branches so that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height nor set their tops among the thick boughs that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them for they have all been delivered to death to the depths of the earth among the children of men who go down to the pit thus says the Lord God in the day when it went down to hell I caused morning i covered the deep because of it i restrained its rivers and the great waters were held back I caused Lebanon to mourn for it and all the trees of the field wilted because of it I made the nation's shake at the sound of its fall when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the pit and all the trees have Eden the choice in the best of Lebanon all that drink water were comforted in the depths of the earth they also went down to hell with it with those slain by the sword and those who are at strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations to which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword this is Pharaoh and all his multitude says the Lord God and we certainly know that we're reminded and the previous two chapters remind us of the pride of the pride of feral and we remind this morning of the in the sermon of the fact that God God hates prob pride and boastfulness in all of our hearts and unfortunates native to every one of our hearts as well in our hearts as contained that that that sense of pride that sense of natural natural haughtiness and if God hates pride than we best that we best kill it kill it in her own in her own hearts kill and our families killed in our church that we would never become a proud and boastful boastful church and as a nation that we could sometimes become proud and boastful of what of what we are compared to other nations and and I think that if we recognize that James chapter 4 verse 6 says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble that's actually quoting a proverb from the book of Proverbs as many verses in the Old Testament that speak of God's hatred towards propped ridin and an haughtiness and and let's let's reflect upon what he did to the king of Egypt as evidenced by the raising up the Assyrians and ultimately to to bring to bring one nation down he offered raise up another nation to bring that nation down because it's pride because of its audience and if that is the god of the Old Testament we believe as as Reformed Baptist that it's the same god of the New Testament as well he does not change he is the same God who who hated pride in the Old Testament and still hates it today and we would have that same hatred towards pride our own hearts which unfortunately naturally dwells there but I think part of the part of killing pride would be to at least recognize that pride is there and that God would be pleased to Humble us and cause us to to love him and hate her own pride I believe that he work he he desires that in his children and we can certainly pray to that end so let's pray that God would be pleased to cause us to to love him more than we would love her own our own haughtiness love love him more than our own anything that we have to boast boast I would be proud of well let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father against we again we once again gave you our grateful thanks for the word of God that does that does humble us when we consider Lord that what you did too proud nations and proud individuals father how we pray that you as we confess our own sinfulness to you that you would be pleased to Humble us father caused us to see our own many shortcomings are many sit our sins before a holy God that we would have nothing to be proud of before you a holy God yet father we thank you for that blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that does wash us and we would ask that you would be pleased to wash as a fresh even here again this evening the Lord we would that we would identify with that blood of Christ that cleanses us and for that fountain minister that is open for uncleanness and for wickedness or we confess our sins to you and pray you would be pleased to forgive us for Christ's sake and cause us to worship you with hearts that are set upon the holiness of God and the greatness of God and and the smallness of ourselves how we pray that you would bless past reporter this evening that he would exalt Christ and that you'd be exalted in this place and worship we do pray in Jesus precious name Amen well please turn with me in your hymn books for the last him this evening to him number 220 220 Alaska Stan there good evening to everyone you can turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 9 last Lord's Day evening pastor Butler for the Lord's Day for the Lord's Supper sermon was preaching regarding Christ in the Old Testament the fact that the Old Testament is in Christ list but is much rather Christ full and the intention of the giving of the revelation in the Old Testament is to make known the will of God in the promised Messiah that one who would come the hero born of woman who had crushed the serpent with his heel that one is coming revelation building upon revelation to that time the fullness of the times when the Christ would come and give his life for guilty sinners one of the passages he alluded to is Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6 we're going to look at that passage Isaiah's child of promise not as eia's child not a child that Isaiah would be the father of but rather that one who would be given by God and be born of a virgin in due time to give his life for guilty sinners will read Isaiah 9 beginning in verse 1 in finishing it verse 7 the Word of God nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed as when at first he lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun in the land of nafta lie and afterward more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death upon them a light has shined you have multiplied the nation and increased its joy they rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest as men rejoice when they divide the spoil for you have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder the rod of his oppressor as in the day of Midian for every warrior sandal from the noisy battle and gar it's rolled in blood will be used for burning in fuel of fire for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this amen will let us again pray Heavenly Father we thank you now we can gather for the preaching of your word we would ask yet again that you would be with us help us Lord God by your spirit to have our minds illuminated that we might know in a greater way your revelation that we might learn from spirit and word this evening we might leave this place equipped to go into a week that we might conduct ourselves unto your glory and unto that manner which is worthy of the gospel of grace we would pray that you would just help us now that you would be honored that Christ would be praised and Lord God that we would leave singing the praises of amazing grace we pray in Christ's precious name Amen around around the time of Christmas we sing and not that we should be limited to that time of year but we sing a hymn o come o come all ye faithful actually that's not the him I was going for o come o come Emmanuel that's the one I was searching for o come o come Emmanuel that him is is replete with isaiah anak prophecy with Isaiah's promises of this son that would be born who would redeem the sons of men who would be that one who would give his life for guilty sinners and will have occasion perhaps just to refer to that him later but Isaiah 9 is much at the heart and center the theology of it the promise the prophecy of Isaiah 96 is is undergirding that him in hymns of the like and it's rich with Christ it's rich with promise but we ought not to immediately jump to the new covenant the new fulfillment and reality of it without considering it in its context in the context your judgment is coming via Assyria the judgment is coming upon God's covenant people by virtue of or for the reason of their coven ental disobedience judgment is coming upon covenant disobedient Israel and noticed the language of chapter eight if you're still in Isaiah there notice if you back up a little bit to Isaiah eight notice in verse 7 be now therefore behold the Lord brings up over them the waters of the river strong and mighty the king of Assyria and all his glory he will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks he will pass through Judah he will overflow and pass over he will reach up to the neck and the stretching out of and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breath of your land o Emmanuel be shattered oh you peoples and be broken in pieces give your all you from far countries gird yourselves but be broken in pieces gird yourselves but be broken in pieces take counsel together but it will come to nothing speak the word but it will not stand for God is with us you see the announcement is coming judgment is inevitable Assyria here he says that the Lord announces the king of Assyria in all his glory they're coming to judge according to the curses of the Covenant and in what should people hope then where where does the hope come on the heels of the announcement of the inevitability of judgment from on high where is the hope to come well generally it comes no doubt in their God because we notice in isaiah 813 the lord of hosts him you shall hallo let him be your fear and let him be your dread he will be as a sanctuary but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel as a trap and a air to the inhabitants of Jerusalem notice it goes on to say bind up the testimony seal the law among my disciples and I will wait on the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will hope in him Assyria is coming the judgment righteous judgment from God is coming by virtue of that nation that he will raise up to be a tool in his sovereign an but you will find hope in Yahweh you will find hope in God not only in God of course but also in God's Word verse 19 and when they say to you seek those who are mediums and wizards who whisper and mutter should not have people seek their God should they seek the dead on behalf of the living to the law and to the testimony if they do not speak according to this word it is because there is no light in them they are to find hope in their God and hope in the Word of God and notice in verses 1 to 2 of chapter 9 with regards to this darkness that is punctured by a coming light we're advancing to verse 6 of Isaiah 9 but notice in verse 1 of a Isaiah 9 just to rehearse this again ever tha less the gloom that is upon Israel the gloom that is upon the Covenant people will not be upon her who is distressed as when at first he lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun in the land of nafta lie and afterward more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death upon them a light has shine we were to fast forward to the book of Matthew that Matthew who brings forth a lot of Isaiah into his into his gospel but if we were to fast-forward to the book of Matthew we would find Matthew going to this very vers when he's rehearsing the the narrative concerning Jesus Christ our Lord and he says with regards to the coming of Christ into this world in his earthly ministry he says upon them a light has shined he cites Isaiah 9 1 and 2 and he says that Jesus Christ is that light that punctures the darkness where is the hope in the face of this Assyrian captivity where is the hope in the face of this judgment from on high that comes by way of this king of Assyria it doesn't come in the might of men it doesn't come in earthly princes it doesn't come in valiant armies and and men that are strong in their military prowess but it comes in this one in verse 6 notice that there is a 4 in verse 6 of Isaiah 9 everything that preceded it up through verse 5 and then for the reason for this the reason the the reason behind or the very weight and the power of this light that comes to puncture the darkness is found in what I'm about to say for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace what a what a wonderful thing you know it it rubs against human wisdom doesn't it we would think that the answer to the the darkness of the darkness of an earthly leader raised up by God to bring the curses of the Covenant we we would think that the answer to the doom in the gloom of this judgment would perhaps be a human valiant one that would come with military and physical prowess wielding a physical sword and dashing to pieces the enemies of Israel we come to verse 6 and we find that it is a child born it's a son that's given this is the stuff that cheers the Christian heart we want to look at four things lord willing and time willing those four things are these with regards to this hero that is set forth as the answer to the doom in the gloom that is coming we want to look at his humble beginning his royal commission his divine Majesty in his perfect happiness notice his humble beginning for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given he is a child he doesn't come down from heaven upon a chariot of clouds he doesn't descend upon a winged steed and and come with the the valiance of an outward and external and superficial official show of glory and might but rather he is a child born for unto us a child is born this is building upon previous revelation this is building upon the the the disclosure from on high of this hero that would come we look back of course at Genesis 3 15 no doubt that one who would be born of what of a woman who would crush the the head of the serpent and be bruised in the process but notice in Isaiah 7 Isaiah chapter 7 this is building upon the Emmanuel prophecy that Isaiah has already spoken o come o come Emmanuel they are the the Old Testament Saints had hearts of expectation that song o come o come Emmanuel is in effect sung from the vantage point of an Old Testament st. longing for the coming of the consolation of Israel longing for the coming of the hope of Israel the Lord Jesus Christ o come o come Emmanuel we rehearse we almost project ourselves back if you will to the vantage point of these the remnant in Israel who know that divine chastisement is coming not not only chastisement divine wrath and judgment the remnant is is there and they hear this prophecy and we along with them sing o come o come Emmanuel and that's the stuff of Isaiah 7 beginning in verse 13 notice then he said here now a house of David it is a small thing for you to weary men but will you weary my god also therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name immanuel Matthew adds in his birth narrative which is translated God with us we have this wonderful promise given by Isaiah here in Isaiah 7 no doubt already building upon the revelation of Genesis 3 15 that hero that would be born of woman and we have a woman and we come to Isaiah 96 for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and I think we can look at this passage brethren and we can see something of a reality of that only only God this is an evidence for if you will or an argument for the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures for what we concoct a story of a hero that is a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger who is the victor in the hero of Israel we wouldn't we wouldn't penned that into a tale if we were trying to build a religion and deceive men and you know sort of concoct some sort of a story to have to gain followers to ourselves what we would do is say that we wandered alone into a desert and found a book in the ground what we would do is we'd say that we are in a cave and then the angel Gabriel came to us and gave us words of Revelation we would concoct nonsensical stories that perhaps would be marked by valiance and victory and all those sorts of things but we would not come up with our human minds this child born this son given it's an evidence of divine inspiration what it's what a what a story what a true narrative what a glorious reality this one given he does not come with the pomp and the prominence of some sort of heavenly divine figure upon a chariot of clouds but he's a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger he is a child notices well he is given to us this is um under his humble beginning he's given to us the languages for unto us a child is born unto us is given it's the language of a gift brethren the language of a gift though the language of of this having gift character is absolutely clear what is that this this blessing that comes to the the gloom and the darkness that the people who walked in darkness those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death what is the gift what is the divine blessing that comes to puncture to to enter that darkness and cast away the gloom cast away that darkness it is this child born this son given he's a gift our Lord Jesus Christ is is a gift this is the language of john and john 3 16 isn't it for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that skip past the language of Gabe and just and just think of it as some sort of mechanical divine sending for God so loved the world that He gave so it's a divine gift that comes from amazing grace eternal loving kindness of the triune God it is a gift yes is interesting language in Romans 5 you can turn their through guards to the language of gift what's going on in Romans 5 well the Apostle Paul is comparing the two atoms the first Adam who brought death and sin and damnation in the second Adam who brings life to all those who believe in him first Adam by his disobedience brought sin to all his progeny the second Adam by the perfection of his righteousness by the perfection of his obedience brings life to the many who are found in him but notice the language of gift associated in verse 15 but the for this is Romans 5 15 but the free gift is not like the offense for if by the one man's offense many died much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abounded too many and the gift is not like that which came through the one who like that which excuse me and the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned for the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification for if by the one much more for if by the one man's offense death rain through the one much more those who receive abundance of grace and Grayson of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ you see it just strengthens the argument here that salvation that justification is by faith alone and that the righteousness which avails with God is is not our own but it is an alien and a foreign righteousness the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone why because it's a gift the language is here that righteousness is a gift that God gives us it doesn't come from within it comes from without God accounting us crediting us as righteous by virtue of the gracious gifting of the righteousness of his son the Lord Jesus Christ getting back to Isaiah then unto us a child is born unto us a son is given his humble beginning is that he is a child and that he has given to us but note as well Christ comes by virtue of a voluntary condescension on his own part as well language of Galatia you see we have the language in the Bible that the father gives the son to us we have the reality that with respect to his divinity Christ Jesus gives himself and respect to his humanity gives himself upon the cross but Christ gives himself Romans want our excuse me Galatians 14 and and Galatians 2 20 he is a gift to us it's quite the thing that we have here if we consider that only three chapters earlier this child that's born this son that's given is the one that Isaiah Isaiah sees high and lifted up the lofty one and in the temple when he uses that language the Train of his robe filling the temple or a couple a couple positions on that if we preached on that a while back but that could mean that Isaiah is seeing this vision of God manifesting himself after the manner of men it's a an accommodation to show Isaiah the glory of God and he sees a divine a divine king leafing figure it's there Yahweh disclosing himself and he sees this one with the Train of his robe filling the temple another interpretation is that it's just the hem of His garment that's filling the temple why because he's so glorious he's so immense he's so majestic that only the smallest M of her robe fills the temple he reveals himself in such a way that Isaiah can only be hold a piece of garment filling the temple we fast-forward to Isaiah 96 for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given that one whose hem of the robe filled the temple is now babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger we need to move on to his royal commission but before we do that one application at this point is is to count your blessings you can't count your blessings Jesus Christ is a gift to us there's a there's an old an old bedtime song I don't know where it first originated it's from the 1950s a first person I knew to sing it was Bing Crosby but it might have might have preceded him but the the song says when you're worried and you can't sleep just count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings it's good instruction from from being there count your blessings instead of sheep I remember making this mistake as a father ripped by one of my daughters Marissa couldn't get to sleep one night and I said why don't you try counting sheep and and I left and she called me back and I went back into the room and and I'm like what's the problem and she's like tried counting sheep but they keep hitting the fence I thought that was quite clever and funny but you see getting back to higher and sacred things were to count our blessings and what is the highest of those blessings but a son given this child that was born this Christ who came into the world to give his life for guilty sinners when we pray a children adults when we pray we are definitely to rehearse everything God out of his infinite bounty blesses us with gift upon gift were to to go to God in prayer and thank him for food and for drink and for air in our lungs for health you know have being able to walk and being able to use all four limbs as an absolute blessing we have so much to be thankful for but the chief of all those blessings is this hope of Israel this child born this son given this one who would give his life for sinners count your blessings instead of sheep and set as the chief of blessing in your heart this son given this child born notice his royal commission and the government will be upon his shoulder the government will be upon his shoulder what does that mean some have taken that to mean that not that the government will be upon his shoulder that he'll be given a royal commission that he will be the one who has dignity and rule but rather that externally an opposing government will be a burden upon him and in the case of the the life and times of Christ the unbelieving Jews in the Roman Empire the view is that that government that you know those two conspiring the kings of the earth and the you know the the psalm two conspirators are opressing this one who is born this one who is born and who grows and and who is ultimately crucified upon Calvary's tree under the the lawless hands of his opposers that's sort of the idea that some would give to it some even would say that it's a reference to the cross the government will be upon his shoulder I don't know where they get government being Ross but Christ carried the cross upon his shoulder that's not what Isaiah is intending to set fourth year but rather it seems clear in the context that this means Christ has a royal dignity in his office and associated rule notice the language used in Isaiah 22 with regards to this same thing Isaiah 22 when you get to Isaiah 22 you can turn to verse 22 the key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder so he shall open and no one shall shot and he shall shut and no one shall open John the Revelator in Revelations three picks this up with regards to Christ Jesus himself the the idea has to do with something that bedecked an earthly ruler around the shoulders that was a sign of rule and functioned as an implement of rule and that particular verse is in the him that I was speaking about o come o come Emmanuel you might recognize this language with regards to what we just said in this particular him o come thou key of David come and open wide our Heavenly home make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery you see the key of David is being it was being used here in Isaiah 2222 with reference to the government that would be upon the shoulder of this child born this son given he has a royal dignity he has associated rule that comes with one who has royal dignity and the the vindication of that interpretation comes in the very next verse verse 7 of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end upon the throne of David and over his King him to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward even forever the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this this child born this son given is also a king it's beautiful isn't it as Christians to think of our Lord Jesus Christ as king Jesus Christ thought of himself this way didn't he don't you love that scene and sees on the day of his crucifixion before Pilate and pilots you know thinking himself to be quite the fellow and Christ has already gone through the garden soro he's already been in the Garden of Gethsemane he's already cried out to the father father if it is possible let this cup of wrath pass from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done he's already gone through that in this earthly this earthly pilot this earthly governor is questioning him we find in verse 34 of John 18 jesus answered him are you speaking for yourself about this or did others tell you this concerning me Pilate answered am I a Jew your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me what have you done jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world if my kingdom were of this world My servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now my kingdom is not from here Pilate therefore said to him are you a king then jesus answered you say rightly that I am a king hopefully you know not not that this is anything that I can bind your conscience is with but hopefully your your heart swells with warm affections for this Christ and and feelings of even victory when you read these these words jesus answered jesus answered you say rightly that I am a king notice what he says next for this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth everyone who is the truth hears my voice you say rightly that I am a king glorious Savior glorious redeeming King what sort of application can we can we take from this well before we get to that we ought to rehearse what what this kingship means largely no doubt this means that the Lord Jesus Christ has sovereign rule and kingship over all things largely speaking what do we read in our Bibles concerning this child that's born this son that is given we read that the nations of this world have become the nation's of our God and of his Christ Wow you see that's encouragement to our hearts in the face of such political and social madness we can look upon a world that seems to want to burn itself and we don't need to just abandon ourselves to anxiety and worry and loss but we can know for a certainty that this one is king that this one has sovereign and divine Commission that this one is the ruler of the nation's revelation says not only is he the ruler and the king and the sovereign over all things but he is specifically ruler over all things for the church our confession has a wonderful paragraph in chapter 8 of Christ the mediator rehearsing the very things bringing together biblical data to highlight the reality of this glorious one and it reads this way it pleased god and his eternal purpose to choose an ordained the Lord Jesus His only begotten Son according to the Covenant made between them both to be the mediator between God and man the prophet priest and King head and Savior of the church and heir of all things and judge of the world unto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed and to be by him in time redeemed called justified sanctified and glorified you see that there he's King head and Savior of the church heir of all things what what confidence we have as Christians to have such a glorious and certain truth in the Savior that is the application that when we are tempted to worry and become anxious because of the world burning itself we have the King of Kings and the Lord of lords rules and reigns over all things he's he's been put at the right hand of God where he ever lives yes to make intercession for his people but also to lower his boot upon his enemies glorious those Christians were being dragged away to death by a pliny the younger for not bending a knee in worshipping the image of trajan and they wouldn't curse Christ I like to think that they were singing that him to Christ as to God because they knew he was ruling king they knew that the nations of this world had been given to our God and to his Christ notices well His divine Majesty we're back in Isaiah 9 now notice his divine majesty for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace hopefully you you read that and and and again brethren is as Christians these are the sorts of passages I mean I'm sure we can gain much by a reading of genealogies that's the inspired Word of God there are those texts aren't there where our eyes land upon them and our hearts are to be worn by the weight and the majesty of the things here in this case ascribed to this child born in this Sun given his name will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father Prince of Peace noticed first divine purpose and wisdom he's called wonderful counselor note that this name and this reality this authority this reputation of this child born and son given is to evoke wonder he's wonderful counselor we are to marvel at the wisdom and the divine majesty of this one you ever come across in your Bibles the language and I know we've done this before but it's a good reminder when whenever you come across the language of behold or low in your Bibles zert the those are God's way through his prophets through his human instruments through those whom he super intends to bring attention to marvel at something lo I am with you always even to the end of the age to marvel at those things here by this name wonderful counsellor were to be brought to a place of wonder the wisdom and the majesty of this Lord Jesus Christ he executes an eternal purpose his wisdom and his counsel stretches back into eternity he's wonderful counselor he doesn't just come into this world empty of a purpose as if he rolls about from day to day reacting and interacting and seeing what happens and devising plans as he goes along no he comes after Paul tells us in Ephesians 3 11 and eternal purpose there is an eternal purpose the infinite and divine wisdom that we have in our Christ is seen in this name wonderful counselor with him our wisdom and counsel job says he's in undated by these you know these bad physicians his friends that are seeking to give him advice and he goes wait a minute I'm paraphrasing with God our wisdom and counsel he has understanding here we have that this Christ is wonderful counselor and were to avail of his counsel because they're in his true wisdom Paul in his letter to the Colossians says that God has bestowed Christ the fullness of wisdom and knowledge beyond even measure we come to our Christ and there we find good counsel you see this is juxtaposed if you will to verse 10 of chapter 8 take counsel together but it will come to nothing the text says a serious coming let's let's bring ourselves together let's take counsel together let's as wise men boast in our wisdom Jeremiah 9 and see if we can answer this opposition well no it is absolutely inevitable and the only hope is this one who alone has counsel who is wonderful counselor notice his divine power he is mighty God he is wonderful counselor he is mighty God his unmitigated deity is there in ascribed and set forth a pastor Butler last week noted that the Jehovah's Witnesses will come to this passage and they'll say well you see Jesus isn't truly God because it says mighty God it doesn't say Almighty God again a we have a problem with Pauly see polytheism like Jim said last time but also notice the language in Deuteronomy just a couple verses that ascribe the word mighty to Yahweh of Israel you can turn to Deuteronomy 7 Deuteronomy 7 verse 8 notice what we find there but because the Lord loves you and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your father's the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt verse 19 of the same chapter noticed the great trials which your eyes saw the signs and the wonders the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out notices well in Deuteronomy 1017 Deuteronomy 1017 for the Lord your God is gone ought of gods and Lord of lords the Great God mighty an awesome who shows no partiality nor takes a broad a bribe excuse me notice the language there again God of gods Lord of lords the Great God mighty and awesome if that isn't enough of an argument no doubt we couldn't exhaust the rest of the text in the Old Testament leading up to this point but Isaiah himself notice in Isaiah chapter 10 only a chapter later in Isaiah 10 and verse 21 the remnant will return the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God and as well in verse 34 he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron and Lebanon will fall by the mighty one so it's a silly argument of course to say well mighty God isn't as high and lofty as Almighty God it's the same thing it's the same divine glory Father Son and Holy Spirit of one substance power and eternity having the whole divine essence yet the essence undivided wonderful counselor mighty God we're going to close here in a few moments but think about this for a second with regards to the language of child born son given you know when we fast-forward to the actual birth narratives when the babe is wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger you know that the angels are still worshipping Him as God you ever considered the passage there in Luke 214 perhaps we might just get past it and and just perhaps think okay you know that's just speaking about God in the abstract or perhaps just a reference to God the Father when it says when the angels sing glory to God in the highest what do we read in Hebrews 16 when he again brings the first born into the world he says let all the angels of God worship Him when the angels are worshiping God Luke 214 they're worshipping Christ let all the angels of God worship Him this one is born in the City of David a savior who is Christ the Lord and the Angels gather around and they worshiped him saying glory to God in the highest what do we sing another him that we sing hark the herald angels sing what glory to the newborn King what's in the background there Luke to 14 veiled in flesh the Godhead see hail the Incarnate deity he is mighty God he is everlasting father that speaks to very quickly divine headship or Parenthood it's not speaking about the person's of the Trinity there's not some sort of contradiction there it's not speaking of intra Trinitarian relationships when it calls Christ everlasting father it could be speaking to he the fact that he has a fatherly character Psalm 103 god pities his people as a father pities his children could refer to the fact that he has a relation of spiritual Parenthood to his people he is the author and preserver of eternal life Spurgeon at this passage calls Christ our spiritual parent he gives us salvation and he sends his spirit applying the benefits of redemption to our souls perhaps as Gil summarizes he is a media torial head we are the children and offspring given to him in the everlasting covenant he is the everlasting father in that coven ental and mediatorial sense Christ Gill rather writes Christ is the father or author as the law came by Moses and he was the father of the legal dispensation now that isn't the way that dispensationalists used the word dispensation he's contrasting Old Covenant to New Covenant he was the father Moses was of the legal dispensation grace and truth or come by Christ the father and author of the gospel dispensation the doctrines of it are from him and the ordinances of it or by him and he is the father of that state or world to come after the resurrection the new jerusalem church state and also of the ultimate glory and lastly notice what we have we have his perfect happiness he is the Prince of Peace i love this language he's the he's the Prince of Peace when we say his perfect happiness were not meaning his though he is perfectly happy as God he is undiminished in his beatitude in his happiness in his bliss it doesn't even flow it doesn't wax and wane Christ according to his divinity never sorrows or grieves according to his humanity he did in the days of his flesh sorrow and grieve he was not marked by a perfect human happiness but often had sorrow of Sol Sol travail of soul now though in his exalted glory according to his humanity he is perfectly happy but what do we mean by perfect happiness well the text says he is the Prince of Peace that is to us he's the Prince of Peace he is peace embodied according to Ephesians 2 14 for he himself is our peace have you ever thought of that Christ is peace Christ is he himself is our peace this is the announcement of the prophet in Micah that this one who is from everlasting who will be a king a ruler to come from out of that littlest of the thousands of Judah Bethlehem this one will be peace the text says and he brings saving peace he brings saving peace to us you ever think about that language and in Romans 51 and meditate upon it therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ talk about a talk about another gift peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ at once being at enmity him being angry with us rightly and perfectly wholesome severity against the sons of disobedience we though in in sinful anger against him waving our sinful fists the father of lights Christ comes and he brings peace between God and man that again was the hem of the angels glory to God in the highest peace on earth and goodwill toward men he brings saving peace and will close with this acknowledgment I want you to turn with me to Colossians a passage that no doubt you're familiar with but the means of peace again an evidence of the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures the Scriptures themselves are self attesting to their divine origin because no man brings peace like this no man can stories of such a glorious way of bringing peace between God and men and Colossians 1 19 we read for it please the father that in him all the fullness should dwell and by him this is Christ of course to reconcile all things to himself by him whether things on earth or things in heaven having made peace through the blood of his cross imagine if you were there on that day i'm not i'm not trying to encourage you to concoct any vain imaginings in your mind in violation of the second commandment but imagine if you were there that day and you were one of the witnesses to this crucifixion you wouldn't be thinking peace when you looked at that would you this bloody massacre on that Roman gibbet of execution the cross of Golgotha she'd be looking in that at that and saying peace now if you had been instructed after God and you were a believer there would be something of course where you would know that this is the means by which the Messiah affects the salvation of his people Isaiah 53 but looking upon that and thinking about it with with with just human minds for a second we don't think peace when we look at the cross we think blood we think execution we think murder we think all manner of physical travesty but our Bibles come to us with the glory of the of the inspiration of God and they disclose the reality that peace comes through the massacre at Calvary peace comes through that peace between God and men brethren count your blessings we have this son given in this this child given this child born this son given count your blessings and don't be anxious Christ is king and he has affected peace for us you know there's a another aspect of that piece there is that that juridical piece that comes by virtue of justification by the righteousness of Christ but as well have peace of mind peace of mind in Christ your guilt has been removed by the perfection of the saving work of that child born that son given that royally dignified one you have peace of mind when you sin do not cast yourselves into a season of self-loathing fly immediately to the fount that's opened up for sin and for uncleanness who by his cross work has brought peace to the sons of men let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your word we rejoice in your revelation to men we thank you for this passage from so long ago that discloses the glory of Christ and His being born of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the curse of the law we do pray that you would help us to rejoice in him that we would find in him our all in all that we would be anxious in nothing because we know that we have that peace which surpasses all understanding we have Christ Jesus as king we have the reality of salvation by free and sovereign grace and we pray pray that we would often come to you in prayer with Thanksgiving making known our gratitude for having gifted us with so great a gift we do pray that you go with us into this week that we might sing the praises of this Christ that we might live according to his gospel and God that we would return back again on the next Lord's Day seeking to do all of this again that we might continue to rejoice I think as a gathered church in the blessings of free and sovereign grace we pray in the name of Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen well we're going to stand and sing a doxology that will be him 35 stanza one of him 35 in your hymn books let's stand and sing the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace amen we'll have a brief time of prayer you're dismissed when the piano is finished you