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Isaiah chapter 9. Isaiah chapter 9. I'll just read 
the first seven verses and then we're going to focus on verses 
6 and 7 this morning. Beginning in verse 1 of chapter 
9, nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed. as when at first he lightly esteemed 
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 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's sandal from 
the noisy battle and garments rolled in blood will be used 
for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born. 
Unto us a son is given. and the government will be upon 
his shoulder. 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. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word and we thank you for this announcement 
concerning the coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Father, 
that as we treat a familiar text, it would have fresh power, fresh 
meaning, fresh joy and comfort for us in our situation. We ask 
that you would forgive us for all of our sins and our transgressions 
as we approach the Holy Word of God. We pray for cleansing 
in His blood. We pray for sanctification. We 
pray for illumination. We pray for those things that 
you alone give. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, in light of that 
tragedy that took place on Friday, I'm on a message board or a discussion 
list. It's Reformed Baptist pastors 
And a dear brother in Toledo, Ohio asked that in light of this 
tragedy, what were pastors going to preach? Were they going to 
change their messages and speak specifically to that situation 
that took place on Friday? As well I saw on the internet, 
some man said to pastoral interns, or those guys training to be 
pastors, imagine if you were speaking in Newtown, Connecticut 
this morning, what is it that you would speak on? Well, I believe 
that Isaiah 9, 6, and 7, which I had already planned to preach 
on, is absolutely crucial at a time like this. The persons 
involved in this tragedy desperately need to hear what Isaiah prophesied 
concerning our Lord Jesus. This world is full of sin, it's 
full of corruption, it's full of depravity, and that sin, corruption, 
and depravity is what flows from the carnal heart of man. Man 
is desperately wicked. There is none righteous, no not 
one. But coupled with that there are 
unseen forces behind the scenes that are principalities and powers. We know it is the mark of the 
devil himself. He is a murderer from the beginning. 
He speaks no truth. All that he ever says is lies. So murder and lies highlight 
or punctuate what is behind the scenes and murder and lies are 
often depicted in this world in which we live. When we consider 
this particular passage of scripture, verses 6 and 7 afforded great 
comfort to the nation of Israel in a time of great calamity. And it is my suspicion that it 
would afford great comfort to those in Newtown in this time 
of calamity, in this time of tragedy. This world, because 
of sin, is a war zone. We see two parties, according 
to the Word of God in Genesis 3.15. There is the seed of the 
woman and there is the seed of the serpent. We see the devil 
and we see Christ. He who is not with me is against 
me. And certainly this world, that 
battle is played out in day-to-day lives. But I want us to consider 
the Lord of Glory as He is set before us in verses 6 and 7. 
Simply, the King is identified in verse 6, and the kingdom is 
described in verse 7. The historical context is noteworthy. In chapter 8, it is prophesied 
that the northern tribes are going to fall to Assyria. This was a historical reality 
that took place in the divided kingdom. In 722 BC, because the 
northern tribes of Israel continued in penitent, continued in an 
unfaithful manner, broke the covenant mandate that was given 
to them at Sinai and ratified at Moab, they broke that, were 
unfaithful, and as a result they reaped the curses contained or 
stipulated in that covenantal document the book of Deuteronomy. So chapter 8 highlights the reality. The northern tribes are going 
to be taken away. They are going to be desecrated. But on the heels of that announcement, 
chapter 9 is given to encourage In fact, if you remember the 
birth narrative of our Lord in the early chapters of the Gospel 
of Matthew, this passage is cited, this passage is highlighted with 
reference to Zebulun and Naphtali in the Galilee of the Gentiles. 
Jesus began his ministry in the northern section. It was Zebulun 
and Naphtali that would be the first tribes to fall when Assyria 
comes to do damage to the northern tribes. But there is this announcement 
built in, that though that desecration is going to happen, though that 
judgment will take place, though Assyria will cause the northern 
tribes to fall, verse 1 of chapter 9 says, nevertheless, the gloom 
will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first he lightly esteemed 
the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 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. And now God 
through the prophet gives three reasons why they are to be encouraged. 
Three reasons why they ought to be cheered. Three reasons 
why they ought to find comfort. They will in fact experience 
joy. And the first reason is found 
in verse 4, because they will know victory. 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. The God who led them 
out in the Exodus, the God who crushed the enemies of the Lord 
at the time of Gideon, is the same God who will bring about 
victory for His oppressed people. Secondly, He says you ought to 
be encouraged and comforted because there is a day coming when peace 
will ensue. We need to remember that. We 
need to understand that. It's not going to be the case 
in the eternal state that we listen to the news and we look 
online and we see this sort of a tragedy. There is coming a 
day when Christ will usher in the eternal state wherein righteousness 
alone will dwell. All vile men, all murderers, 
all liars, all sorcerers, all cowards will be cast into the 
lake of fire. That is the hope that the Christian 
possesses. Back in Isaiah's day, it is described 
this way in verse 5. For every warrior's sandal from 
the noisy battle and garments rolled in blood will be used 
for burning and fuel of fire. This harkens back to chapter 
2, when the prophet announces the messianic age, when the nations 
will learn war no more. They'll beat their swords, they'll 
beat their weapons of destruction into implements for agriculture. 
They'll beat their swords into plowshares. They will use those 
things not to kill men, not to engage in warfare, not to destroy 
the image of God in men, but rather they will use that metal, 
that iron, to make tools for trade. Same idea here. The warrior's 
saddle, the sandal, the garments rolled in blood, those will be 
used for burning. That means they won't be used 
for warfare. They won't be used for battle anymore. The soldier 
won't have to put on his sandals. He won't have to put on that 
outer garment. He won't have to take up arms because God will 
be all in all and we will enjoy the eternal state. It's a blessed 
and a wonderful promise. So the prophet holds out encouragement 
to the people facing difficult times by telling them there will 
be victory, there will be peace, but primarily there is a coming 
king. And that's what verses 6 and 
7 describe. William J. Dumbrill says, Isaiah 
is looking beyond the limits of historical kingship since 
the exalted language used in 9 verses 1 to 7 rules out any 
earthly king. The prophet looks forward to 
the ultimate king of Davidic line. the Royal Messiah. That's wherein the people in 
this 8th century context were to derive comfort. May I suggest 
that that is where people in this 21st century context are 
to derive comfort. We look back to what Isaiah prophesied 
We look forward to what our King will usher in on that great day. So let's look at the King identified. Notice seven descriptors of our 
Lord. First, He is a child born. For unto us a child is born. This was the promise in Genesis 
3.15. This was the stipulation. It would be the seed of the woman 
that would deliver the death blow to the devil himself. The 
soul or the skull crushing seed of the woman was the victor that 
Isaiah is prophesying concerning. When we get to the New Testament 
Scriptures and we see that baby in the womb, we need to realize 
that it's that baby in the womb who will live, who will die, 
who will rise again, and that to crush the head of the serpent, 
to destroy him. That is good news. When we turn 
to the New Covenant, we see Matthew 1, 18 to 25, the birth narrative 
of our Lord, linking Him to Abraham, the father of promise, linking 
Him to David, the Davidic royal line that was stipulated concerning 
the Messiah. We look at chapter 1 in the book 
of Romans and we see that He is declared to be the Son of 
God with power at His resurrection, this Son of David. Galatians 
4.4, in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, born 
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. I love the way Watson says it. 
He says, he was poor that he might make us rich. He was born 
of a virgin that we might be born of God. He took our flesh 
that he might give us his spirit. He lay in the manger that we 
might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven that 
he might bring us to heaven. And what was all this but love? 
If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect 
us. Behold love that passes knowledge." Beautiful sentiment from that 
Puritan divine. Notice, secondly, he is a son 
given to us. Verse 6, unto us a child is born. Further description, unto us 
a son is given. This idea of him being a son 
indicates his human parentage. He had earthly parents. Joseph 
and Mary, okay? It came about in the most supernatural 
way by the power of the Holy Spirit, but nevertheless, he 
called Joseph dad or father. He called Mary mom or mother 
or whatever the common parlance was in that particular situation. 
But the fact that he has given unto us highlights divine provision 
Divine provision. I hope that when we read Isaiah 
9.6, John 3.16 isn't far off. It's the same concept. It's the 
same provision given. He is a son given unto us. God 
so loved the world, what? He gave his only begotten son. It's a beautiful mindset. It's 
a beautiful indicator. It highlights the reality of 
sovereign grace. It highlights the reality of 
the blessed promise. 2 Samuel 7, God to David says 
that from your house I will build a dynasty. Remember that instance 
in 2 Samuel 7. Remember the historical context. 
David has some righteous thoughts in his head. He's sitting in 
his mansion. He's sitting in a king's palace. 
He's sitting in the lap of luxury. He's sitting in a glorious estate. And David says, I want to build 
a house for the Lord. It's a good sentiment, isn't 
it? Now, as we see later on through the prophet Nathan and what we 
find subsequent to that, God didn't want David to build his 
house. God wanted it to happen under Solomon, under a reign 
of peace. David was a man of war. He had 
bloodshed. But nevertheless, David was musing 
on this theme and he thought, I'm sitting in the lap of luxury 
and God's dwelling in a tent. Let's build him a house. What's 
God's reply? You're not going to build me 
a house, David. I'm going to build a house out 
of you. I am going to make a dynasty. I am going to provide a succession 
of kings that leads to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God has given us His Son. The glorious thing about the 
Christian gospel is not that some wretched, hellbound, damnable 
sinner gives his heart to Jesus. The glory of the gospel is that 
God gave his son to a world of rebel sinners that spit at him, 
that scoffed at him, that ultimately crucified him. The glory of the 
gospel is not that we give ourselves to Jesus, but that Jesus gave 
himself for us. That's the biblical emphasis. 
That's the biblical norm. That's what produces worshippers. You see, when we think we give 
our hearts to Jesus, there's something good in us. There's 
something commendatory about us. The scripture will not see 
that. It's Christ. God, He initiates, 
He provides, He orchestrates, He rules over all things to provide 
redemption for His people. He is a son given to us. Notice thirdly, He is a universal 
sovereign. It says in the government will 
be upon His shoulder. This is the language of authority 
and rule. This is the contrast to the staff 
of his soldier in verse 4 that has been broken, that has been 
shattered, that has been destroyed. You've been under oppression 
in Egypt. You've been under oppression by the Midianites. You've been 
under oppression by sin. You've been a slave. You've been 
in bondage. You've called the devil Lord. 
You've called him master. You have followed after him. 
Jesus says, come to me and take my yoke upon you. Learn from 
me. He is a universal sovereign. 
The government has been laid upon the shoulders of our Lord. 
That's why in the wake of a situation like this, we need to be very 
careful about pontificating or politicizing. There are certain 
things as Christians, as reformed Christians, we may not be able 
to successfully explain to everybody who asks us. But there's one 
thing we do know. The government is laid upon his 
shoulders. There is a day coming to the praise of the glory of 
His grace, to the vindication of His sovereignty, of His holiness, 
of His justice, of His righteousness. There is a day coming when He 
will vindicate His elect, when He will destroy those who oppose 
because Jesus Christ is in fact King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We need to get this vision of 
our Redeemer. We need to understand his universal 
sovereignty. Is it any accident that in Revelation 
19 we get this picture of the warring Christ riding on his 
white horse with that sword proceeding from his mouth? He's writing 
to real churches in Asia Minor that are suffering real hardships 
in Asia Minor, that are suffering real trials and real difficulties 
and real martyrdoms and real economic difficulties. They are 
suffering those things. And what John says is you need 
to concentrate on that rider of the white horse. You need 
to see that glorious king. You need to see that one who's 
got that word written on his thigh, the word of God. You need 
to understand that He is the one waging war. He is the one 
that is in absolute control. You need to get a fresh view 
of that reality. Yes, it's easy to look in Asia 
Minor and see the difficulties and to see the tragedies and 
to see the suffering. Our hearts ache and our hearts 
yearn for those. But we mustn't ever forget that 
Jesus is in fact King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that He 
has universal empire. This is what the Scriptures declare. 
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me. 
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nation. You say, but 
there's tragedy, there's calamity. Go and make disciples. Christ 
is in absolute control. Christ holds the reins of the 
universe. Christ is our Lord. He is, fourthly, wonderful counselor. Believe these two words go together. 
He is wonderful counselor. Alec Motier says, the decisions 
of a king make or break a kingdom. And a kingdom designed to be 
everlasting demands a wisdom like that of the everlasting 
God. He is wonderful counselor. You can take your burdens to 
him. You can search his holy word. 
You can give him your soul. You can give him your hurts. 
You can give him your discomforts. And we looked at that in 1 Peter 
4.19. Kind of an interesting twist 
of providence this morning. This tragedy occurs on Friday, 
and what's our study in the confession this morning? Providence. It's tough, isn't it? If what 
you're saying is true, he's a universal sovereign, If what you're saying 
is true, God really is sovereign. If what you reform people is 
true, that God has ordained all things whatsoever comes to pass. 
How do we explain these tragedies? There's other data in the mix 
to be sure. Sin, depravity, curse, wickedness, 
evil, malice, corruption. Those are all still in the mix, 
whether you're a Christian or you're not. But when you get wind of these 
sorts of things, to whom shall we go? Remember that instance 
in John 6? People were following Jesus because 
he gave them bread. They thought he was a health, 
wealth, prosperity preacher. You see, when he started pointing 
them to those five points, that sovereign grace, people didn't 
want to follow him anymore. So he looks at his own disciples 
and he said, do you want to leave me too? And that statement of 
Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. Brethren, we can't successfully 
explain all the goings on in this world. If you'd have been 
here this morning, we would have encouraged you to think in terms 
of God's infinity. It's difficult for the finite 
to wrap its mind around, well, it's impossible for the finite 
to wrap its mind around the infinite. We could have pointed you to 
texts, the Old Testament. Joseph understood all too well 
these difficult, tragic, trying providences when his own brothers 
wanted to murder him, while they settled for less and selling 
him into slavery. What does Joseph tell them in 
Genesis 50 verse 20? You meant this for evil, but 
God overruled it for good. You see, the humanist or the 
atheist or the non-Christian or the very inconsistent Christian 
doesn't understand that God has a morally sufficient reason even 
for the tragedy that exists in this world. The saint of Christ 
says, whatever my God ordains is right. I may not be able to 
explain everything. I may not be able to put everything 
together. I may not be able to successfully go on Oprah and 
explain as a Calvinist how all these things take place, but 
this one thing I know God is good to Israel. God is kind. God is wise. God is right. And as Abraham 
said, shall not the God of all the universe do what is right? 
That's the faith commitment of the child of God. Those who suffer, 
Peter says in 1 Peter 4.19, according to the will of God, Let them 
do good, committing themselves to a faithful creator. He is 
a wonderful counselor. Notice fifthly in the description 
given here of Jesus. He is mighty God. This describes his essential 
nature and the fullness of his power. Look at the gradation. Look at the trajectory. There 
is a child born. There is a son given to us. The government will be laid upon 
his shoulder. He's a wonderful counselor. He's 
mighty God. John Owen describes it this way. that the same person should be 
the mighty God and a child born is neither conceivable or possible 
nor can be true but by the union of the divine and human natures 
in the same person. Christ is unique. Christ is the 
son of man and son of God. Christ is the son of David and 
the son of God. Christ is deity. Christ is humanity. Christ is one glorious person 
in two natures. This is creedal theology from 
the outset of the church. It accurately reflects what we 
find in our Bibles. It accurately depicts for us 
what the scripture declares concerning the nature or the essence of 
this one who is a child born, who is a son given. In the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1.1. John 1.14. And the Word became flesh and 
tabernacled among us. Don't be that foolish. Don't 
scratch your head saying, who's verse 14 referring to? Verse 
1, in the beginning was the word. The tense of the verb does not 
mean he came into being at the beginning. It means that when 
there was a beginning, Genesis 1.1, the word was. He always was. It's an imperfect. That means continuous. existence 
in the past. You know what He became? That's 
the verb that means He became something. That's John 1.14. 
The Word became flesh. He always was the Word, but in 
the mystery of the Incarnation, He became flesh. Paul uses a 
similar convention in 2 Corinthians 8.9. You know our Lord Jesus 
Christ. that though he was rich, always, 
never a time when he wasn't, that though he was rich, yet 
for our sakes he what? He became poor. This Jesus, gentle, meek, and 
mild, is God Almighty. He is the Creator. He is the 
Governor. He is the Redeemer. He is the 
Sovereign. He is Most High. And this is 
what the people in Isaiah's day were supposed to gain encouragement 
from. And shall we living on this side 
of the cross not be encouraged? Shall we on this side of the 
cross not be greatly rejoicing over the fact that this child 
born is mighty God? But then he doesn't stop. Notice 
6thly, he is an everlasting father. Used of the Lord, it describes 
his concern for the helpless, his care or discipline of his 
people, and their loyal, reverential response to him. We see these 
concepts applied to Christ in Psalm 72. We see these concepts 
applied to Christ in the prophet Isaiah in chapter 11. He is mighty 
God. That is what he is in his essence, 
in his nature, in his being. But what is He to His people, 
functionally? He's our Father. He's our everlasting Father. 
Again, we've got God the Father, God the Son, but relative to 
His people, Jesus, yes, is the Elder Brother, as we find in 
the Scripture, but He's also described here for us as this 
everlasting Father. This One, with whom, with whom, 
with John, we can lay our heads upon His breasts, and find comfort 
in. And then seventhly, notice how 
the Lord Jesus is described. He is the Prince of Peace. This describes the nature of 
His rule. This describes the way that He 
operates with His people. Let the peace of Christ fill 
your hearts. Let it garrison you. Let it provide 
comfort and protection to you. Let it well up in your hearts, 
that peace which surpasses all understanding. Wasn't it this 
that Jesus gave in terms of benediction in John 14, 27, my peace, I leave 
with you. Don't miss the context there 
either. What were these disciples in 
the upper room being trained for? a seminary post, a nice 
salary, big cars, a few times on the golf course each week. 
That's kind of how we think about this stuff. The training is over. They've 
been with the Lord for three years. He teaches them concerning 
the Trinity in the upper room. He says, my peace I leave with 
you. What's going to happen when Jesus ascends on high, leads 
captivity captive, and gives gifts to men? The disciples are 
going to know anything but peace, humanly speaking. We'll see that tonight, God willing, 
in Revelation 12. This world is terrible. Somebody says, this world is 
horrible. Yeah, it is. Terrible things happen. Wicked 
things happen. Vile things happen. But you know, 
in Christ, even in the midst of the tendest, we still find 
peace. It's amazing. Taken together, 
the terms speak of the child as one who will instruct with 
wisdom which is divine, who will act in power as the mighty God, 
who will love and care for his children eternally, and whose 
coming will bring lasting peace and blessing." Ellen Harmon. So that's the king identified. 
Let's look at the kingdom described in verse 7. Note first, it is 
established at Christ's first coming. of the increase of his 
government and peace there will be no end upon the throne of 
David and over his kingdom." We ask the question, when does 
Jesus assume the throne of David? Luke, the beloved physician, 
helps us to understand that reference. In Luke chapter 1, with reference 
to the announcement concerning this king who has arrived, he 
speaks of him on the throne of David. Verse 26 of Luke chapter 1, Now 
in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a 
city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man 
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's 
name was Mary, and having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, 
highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you 
among women. But when she saw him, she was 
troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this 
was. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you 
have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive 
in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name 
Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the 
Highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father 
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and 
of his kingdom there will be no end." You say, well Luke is 
simply rehearsing to us what Isaiah has already prophesied. 
But Pastor Butler, how do you know this took place in the first 
coming of the Lord Jesus? Luke tells us in Acts 2. Luke 
records for us Peter's declaration concerning this event in Acts 
chapter 2. I want us to get this. The kingdom 
prophesied in Isaiah 9-7 is upon us now. We have already received 
it. We are already partakers. We 
are already participants. We have not fully realized all 
that God has for His people. A basic fundamental construct 
in eschatology is the already and the not yet. We already possess 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, but 
we have not yet entered into the fullness of the blessing 
involved. The same is true. Christ inaugurated 
his kingdom at his first coming. The devil continues to rage. The devil continues to battle. The death blow has been decisively 
dealt at the cross. The skull crushing seat of the 
woman did his job. There is a mop-up exercise the 
time of the gospel when the church is being built by the power of 
Jesus imperceptibly at times, but always successful in light 
of his promise that I will build it and the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it. Notice in Acts 2 at verse 29. 
Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch 
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with 
us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and 
knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit 
of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the 
Christ to sit on his throne, he foreseeing this, notice, spoke 
concerning the resurrection of the Christ. Biblical Christology, 
Biblical eschatology is not waiting for the king, we are bowing to 
the king. We realize we've already received 
it, we realize we've already enjoyed it, we are already possessors 
of it by covenant decree, but we realize it has not come in 
the fullness of glory. We still live in this age. He spoke concerning the resurrection. So everything the prophet speaks 
of in chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 is realized at the first coming 
of our Lord Jesus. The second piece of description 
is that this kingdom will increase in influence and peace. Verse 7, of the increase of his 
government and peace there will be no end. I must confess at 
times I have fallen prey to this very way of thinking, and I suspect 
I'm not alone. How many people are going to 
be in heaven? I mean, I don't know that I want the exact number 
quantified. Well, there's going to be however many billions or 
whatever. We get to thinking in terms of, you know, numbers, 
the numbers game. How in the world can we say of 
the increase of his government and peace there will be no end 
in light of the things that we see in this world? In light of 
the rapid expansion of Islam, how in the world can we as Bible 
believers ever take seriously verse 7, of the increase of His 
government and peace there will be no end? How can we as Bible 
believers not take seriously verse 7? How as Bible believers 
can we not embrace the promise of verse 7? You see, if you say, 
I actually believe there'll be an increase of his government 
and peace, there'll be no end. Oh, you're one of those weirdos. 
You're one of those nuts. You live in a Pollyanna world 
where bad things don't happen. You live in a world that is punctuated 
with marshmallows, and bluebirds, and rose petals, and dances, 
and happiness, and joy. You don't live in the muck, and 
in the depravity, and in the reality of this world. Yeah, 
we do. But the prophet says of the increase 
of his government, The increase of his peace, there will be no 
end. We're looking for quantifiable 
expansion. Are we walking in faith knowing 
that Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of Hades 
shall not prevail against it. Notice thirdly, it is an everlasting 
kingdom. We already saw that in Luke chapter 
1. But it says in verse 7 here, "...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." You realize the 
empires of this world collapse? You realize that, right? You 
just gotta look at history. Rome collapsed. Greece collapsed. the Medo-Persian Empire collapsed, 
the Babylonian Empire collapsed. We look at our empires today 
and we say, wow, they're formidable. Nebuchadnezzar was not a study 
in virtue and kindness. The Assyrians were brutal. The Greeks and the Romans They weren't expanding their 
empires with love and fresh air. They weren't truly Orwellian. 
Orwell says, you know what the future looks like? A boot coming 
down upon the face of man. That punctuated those kingdoms 
of men. That punctuated those beastly 
kingdoms. Empires will rise, empires will 
fall, but what we find here in Isaiah 9-7 told us of the empire 
of Christ, it will have no end. As Christians, you possess something 
that isn't going away. It is ordered, fourthly, with 
judgment and justice. It is ordered with judgment and 
justice. Say, well, where's the judgment 
and the justice from Friday? Again, brethren, I can't successfully 
answer every conundrum. based on recent events. But this 
much I know. When I look at 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15, verses 20 to 28, it tells of Christ at His second 
coming. It tells us that Christ must 
reign until all of His enemies are made His footstool. It tells 
us there in 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 28, the last enemy that 
Christ destroys is death itself. and then Christ takes the kingdom 
and he offers it up to the Father, and then God is all in all. So while we may not get immediate 
justice in our travail, in our trial, and in our difficulty, 
according to the prophet Isaiah, we will. We will. The Lord said to my 
Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. 
It's gonna happen. There's a day coming. What happens 
in Revelation 19 after the fall of that whore? What happens in heaven in Revelation 
19? A four-fold Alleluia. The whore is dead. The whore has been judged. The whore is no more. What's 
heaven do? Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. In answer 
to the prayers of those souls under the altar in Revelation 
6, those martyred souls who said, Oh Lord, how long? God hears, God renders judgment, 
and God blesses his people. Never forget that. Never forget that. And then notice, fifthly and 
finally, with reference to the kingdom described, it is realized, 
secured, and advanced by God Almighty. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will 
perform this. That's one of those statements 
we tend just to kind of walk over and say, oh, that's nice. 
The zeal of God Most High will perform this. Do you know what 
that means? It cannot be stopped. It cannot be thwarted. It cannot 
be derailed. You see it played out in the 
bird narrative. Revelation 12 describes behind 
the scene. The devil wants to destroy the 
sun. Who does he use historically? 
Herod, the murder of the innocents, the slaughter of the babies. 
You see the rage of the devil outworking through Herod, his 
human representative. But he can't stop Yahweh. He 
can't stop the Lord. In fact, in Revelation 12, again, 
I hope we look at this tonight, we see the devil is a four-time 
loser. He isn't the victor. He isn't 
the winner. He isn't the one that ultimately 
all the nations bow down in homage to. It's the King of kings and 
the Lord of lords. But suffice it to say, the accomplishment, 
the sovereign power, the prerogative of the establishment of this 
kingdom thankfully doesn't depend on you and me. What if God said, 
look, go out and build my kingdom? Lord, I can't get out of bed 
on time. I don't read my Bible like I should. I struggle with 
everything from A to Z in the Christian life. You want me to 
build your kingdom? Aren't you thankful the zeal 
of the Lord of hosts shall accomplish this? Aren't you thankful in 
light of man that Jesus says, I will build my church? Aren't you thankful he didn't 
say, it's all up to you? I suggest we've seen the parallels 
between the first and the second Adams incorrectly. We take the 
cultural mandate of Genesis 1 to 3, and we see its New Testament 
application in the Great Commission. So far, so good. But what we unwittingly do is 
we make a bit of a transfer of authority and power in there. 
We say it's up to us to carry out this Great Commission. It's 
up to us to carry out this cultural mandate. Well, if the first cultural 
mandate was given to Adam and his helper, Can't we legitimately 
infirm that the second, the Great Commission, is given to Adam 
and his helper? We help the Lord, we preach the 
gospel, we show up at church, we seek to live faithful in Christ 
Jesus, but we know ultimately the project is His. I like that. I appreciate that. Isaiah wants to comfort those 
in Naphtali, those in Zebulun, those in Chilliwack, those in 
the lower mainland, those in Connecticut to realize the zeal 
Jehovah of hosts will perform this kingdom building enterprise. Brethren, from this we learn 
something of the person and work of Christ. Thomas Watson says 
that man should be made in God's image was a wonder but that God 
should be made, and man's image is a greater wonder, that the 
ancient of days should be born, that he who thunders in the heavens 
should cry in the cradle, that he who rules the stars should 
suck the breast, that a virgin should conceive, that Christ 
should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made. 
that the branch should bear the vine, that the mother should 
be younger than the child she bear, and the child in the womb 
bigger than the mother, that the human nature should not be 
God, yet one with God." Amazing. Edward Payson, commenting on 
Isaiah 9.6, says this, "'Admire him as wonderful, consult him 
as a counselor, adore him as God, be born of him as your everlasting 
Father, and submit to him as the Prince of Peace. We learn 
something as well concerning the Kingdom of Christ. We not 
only learn about his person and work from 9.6, we know ultimately 
he accomplishes this through his life, through his death, 
and through his resurrection. We learn something about his 
kingdom, and Calvin helps us here. God not only protects and 
defends it, but also extends its boundaries far and wide, 
and then preserves and carries it forward in uninterrupted progression 
to eternity. We ought firmly to believe this, 
that the frequency of those shocks by which the church is shaken 
may not weaken our faith. When we learn that amidst the 
mad outcry and violent attacks of the enemies, the kingdom of 
Christ stands firm through the invincible power of God, so that, 
though the whole world should oppose and resist, it will remain 
through all ages. We must not judge of its stability 
from the present appearances of things, but from the promise 
which assures us of its continuance and of its constant increase. 
This remind us of what he just says, we must not judge of its 
stability from the present appearances of things. Walking by the site. Look at the church, it's messed 
up. Look at the church, it's messed 
up. Ah, look at the churches, man. I say these things. Not of you, of course. Of all 
those churches out there. Isn't that the tendency? The 
rapid expansion of Islam causes Christians to say, what's gonna 
happen? It's gonna be a bigger enemy 
for Christ to bring his foot down on. What about humanism? What about 
atheism? Do you realize that in Washington 
State now, you can legally purchase marijuana and use it recreationally, 
and you can marry a dude if you're a dude, but you can't say Christmas. It's mad, isn't it? I know the 
word Christmas. has a lot of negative connotations 
for Christians. I know that it was a Roman response 
to a pagan institution. I understand that. I understand 
that it's marked by commercialism. I understand that it's become 
a political battleground. But I also understand that the 
truth, as weakly as it seeks to set forth, is what people 
need. They need to know of Christ. 
They need to know of the Incarnation. Galatians 4.4 must be thundered 
from the pulpits. In the fullness of the times, 
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman. Yes, we're not commanded 
to remember Jesus' birthday. We are commanded to observe the 
Lord's Supper. But having said that, the incarnation 
is a scriptural theme. It is a scriptural concept. And 
if it's already in everybody's minds at this time of the year, 
I say with Spurgeon, it's here. Let's live with it and let's 
use it to exalt Christ. You know what they need in Connecticut 
right now? They need to understand who Jesus is. Do you know what 
we need in Chilliwack right now? We need to understand who Jesus 
is. We need to understand the gospel message, which includes 
the incarnation of our beloved Lord. Mankind needs to hear, 
and I think this has been attributed to Calvin, it's also been attributed 
to Augustine, whoever originated the saying, it is true. Man needs 
to hear that the Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons 
of men could become the sons of God. Mankind needs to hear hail the 
incarnate deity. Mankind needs to understand, 
veiled in flesh, the Godhead seed. Mankind needs to understand 
that the bondage of sin, the depravity of our hearts, the 
vileness of our natures, The only solution, the only hope 
is not through political saviors. It's not through legislation. 
It's not through funding. It's not through whatever. It 
is through The blood of the Savior, the blood of the King, the blood 
of the Lamb. Paul makes this statement in 
Colossians 1.20. He tells us that Jesus reconciles all things 
through the blood of His cross. You ever thought about that? Blood? Pain? Suffering? Death? It's the means 
that God ordained to save His people from their sins. I submit that without a biblical 
understanding of the doctrine of sin and depravity, we have 
no explanation for what took place on Friday. But without 
an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have no offer 
of hope no offer of encouragement, no offer of remedy for what happened 
on Friday. It's through Christ, it's through 
Him alone that any sinner finds salvation in Him. So if you don't know Christ today, 
believe on Him. Believe the gospel and the scripture 
says you will be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word and we thank you for this promise 
concerning Messiah in Isaiah 9, 6, and 7. We thank you for 
the new covenant scriptures that teach us that it's Jesus, that 
it's the Lord of glory, that it's the one who lived, the one 
who died, the one who rose again, that accomplished all things 
written concerning him in these prophets. We ask that you would 
just fill us with encouragement, fill us with hope, cause us to 
look forward to that final day when there will be victory, when 
there will be peace, when there will be an age of righteousness. 
There will be a time when God is all in all. I pray that this 
would be a great means to help us to persevere in this lower 
world, grant us compassion, grant us large hearts, grant us a prayerfulness 
with reference to these tragedies in our own generation. And our 
Father, help us as well to be quick and very ready to point 
out the way of the cross. And we ask in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, amen.