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.
Opening Prayer
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.
Introduction
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.
The King Identified (Isaiah 9:6)
So let's look at the King identified. Notice seven descriptors of our Lord.
A Child Born
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.
A Son Given
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.
Universal Sovereign
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.
Wonderful Counselor
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.
Mighty God
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.
Everlasting Father
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.
Prince of Peace
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.
The Kingdom Described (Isaiah 9:7)
So that's the king identified. Let's look at the kingdom described in verse 7.
Established at the First Coming
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.
Increasing in Government and Peace
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.
An Everlasting Kingdom
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.
Ordered with Judgment and Justice
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
Secured by the Zeal of the Lord
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.
Closing Prayer
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.