Today's scripture is Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 through 7, but there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulan and the land of Neptali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, those who dwelt in the land of a deep darkness on them has light shown. You have multiplied the nation you have increased its joy. They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest and they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressors you have broken as on the day of midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle to moan and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and the peace there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. May the Lord out of blessing to the reading and the hearing of his word. There is a statue in Tuskegee. Many of you have probably seen if you've been there. On the campus Tuskegee University was erected and dedicated in 19 and 1922 when Booker T. Washington, 1822. The Holy Spirit caught me on it. I'm like wait a minute. That can't be right. No. No. No. No. We were right. It was 1922, erected and dedicated. Not 1822. Can't be 1822 because slavery ended in 1865. Talk to me. It is 1922. Know what I'm talking about. Bob, I studied history. 1922. This statue was erected and dedicated to Booker T. Washington. It is a statue that is an impressive thing of Booker T. Washington lifting the as it were covering or a veil from over the head of a young man. Thus allowing that young man to come into the light to lift the veil of ignorance as it was. Because you see Booker T. Washington had dedicated his life to lifting what he thought was the veil of darkness over the hearts and minds of young African Americans. And he wanted to lift the dark effects of slavery. And there's an inscription on the statue that reads a race like an individual lifts itself by lifting others. If Isaiah had been commissioned to erect a statue this morning from Isaiah chapter 9, perhaps he might picture God. God as it were lifting the veil of darkness and gloom from over the hearts and the minds of his people indeed of all creation. And the inscription might read something like this. A nation or even the individuals are lifted when God lifts the veil of darkness and shines his everlasting light.
This is what we see in Isaiah chapter 9. It's what we witness in Isaiah chapter 9 as chapter 8 ended. The Bible tells us that there was a darkness. There was a darkness that had descended upon Judah and it was a deep darkness. There's a darkness that was due to the fact that the Assyrians had assaulted them and had made things dark and desperate. They had come, assaulted them and conquered them and things looked gloomy and the outlook was not promising. Assyrians were not friendly neighbors, they were terrorists and what they conquered they destroyed. This was a bad situation. And the thing about the situation is that the situation was not just bad but the situation went from bad to worse. It was a bad situation made worse because King A has made a terrible decision and a difficult situation was made worse. We all know how that works. We all know how that works. We are faced with a difficult situation and rather than doing what the Bible said in Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 14, rather than seek help and Gottlieh council, what do we do? We act out of fear, not faith. We are quick to speak and slow to listen and because we take our own council, rather than seeking Gottlieh council, we make a bad situation worse. This is what they have done. This is King A had in a nutshell. He was in a tough position. He made it worse. The Assyrians were attacking and because of his decision, not to trust Gott and rather to take his own council and align with the pagan nations, not only now, whether a series against A has in Judah, but so too now with God. Now it's one thing, beloved, to experience the darkness of human judgment. Much more is the spiritual darkness that comes as a result of God's judgment against you. That's when it really gets dark. I mean, that's when the deep darkness ascends. That was the point that Jesus raised when he made the rhetorical point in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 23. If thin, the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness? It's one thing for the light outside of you to be dark. But what happens when the darkness descends upon the soul, how great is that darkness? What is darkness? Darkness is the absence of light, the absence of light, biblically speaking. It is principally reminder of the blindness that characterizes ignorance, the blindness that characterizes injustice, the blindness that characterizes sin, the darkness that comes in death. In the Bible, the darkness is a realm. It is a domain. It is a kingdom. It is a kingdom of Satan out of which people must be rescued and redeemed. Colossians chapter 1 and verse 13, the Bible says for he has rescued us from where? The kingdom of darkness because darkness is a realm. It is a kingdom. It is a domain. It is a kingdom and a domain that has come into the world as a result of sin and spreads. When Adam and Eve sin, they cause a veil, a cloud of darkness to descend upon all creation in general, but on the hearts and minds of men and women in particular. This darkness descended. Not just on creation, but the darkness descended upon the mind and the hearts of humanity. And from their act in the garden, this darkness descended, manifesting itself in rebellion, disobedience, division, and death within creethene intensity. So that came, their son would rise up and kill able. His brother,
the darkness only got worse and worse and worse. I think it's Genesis chapter 6 and verse 3. You know what the Bible says? The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on earth. The darkness had spread. It had intensified. Pre inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. And that became the precursor for the flood. Do you know what, beloved? Even after the flood, the darkness of sin, unrighteousness, and death continue to grow, to grow, to grow, to grow. So even when we come to our texts in Isaiah chapter 8, Isaiah chapter 9, we are reminded that here is still the evidence of this dark veil that rests upon the world, that rests upon the hearts and minds of men and women, the evidence of Judah's blindness, spiritual blindness, the darkness, the gloom, the rebellion, the sin, the death. So that you see in Isaiah chapter 8, verse 22. And they will look to the earth and behold the stress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. Thick darkness, then I have been said, utter darkness. This is Judah because of their rebellion. This is King Aaz because of his disobedience. The darkness has come. This is the kind of darkness out of which there is no hope. This is the kind of darkness out of which you don't have fine help because their darkness and despair was great. Not only because of the Assyrians, beloved, don't forget. It wasn't just the Assyrians that were against them. More tragically and more importantly, it was God who was against them.
This is the point to remember. This is the point never to forget, beloved. Judah, like the world had a God problem. The Assyrians weren't the problem. They had a God problem.
Their problem wasn't just the Assyrians were in the neighborhood. Their problem is that God wasn't.
It was God. God was the problem. And listen to me. If you don't hear anything else this morning, you hear this. When you have a God problem, only God can solve a God problem. You can take counsel with all and who you want to take counsel with. When you have a God problem, only God can solve a God problem. And beloved, that's what God does. That's what God does. This is who God is. This is the mercy and kindness of a covenant making and a covenant keeping God. God solves God problems. It's a God problem. Only God can solve it. Our rebellion creates a God problem. God can solve it. There is no salvation unless God does something. There is no redemption unless God moves. There is no rescue unless God comes. There is no light unless God breathes. There is no light in that darkness unless God turns it on. And you know what? That's what God does. That's what God does to a world that has totally descended into darkness. God turns the light on. into a light that has descended into other darkness. God comes. He turns the light on. Notice what he says in chapter 9. Nevertheless, the time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. No, I won't believe it. It won't go on forever. The land of Zebuland and Natali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory and the people and the people who walk in darkness. What's going to happen? They will see a great light for those who live in the land of deep darkness. A light will shine. That's the promise of God. The light is coming. The light is coming. The light is coming. We like to call it what? The light at the end of a tunnel. Oh, no, beloved. We're not moving toward it. It's moving toward us. The light is coming. It's coming through the tunnel. It's breaking through. It's coming to us. The light of God. What is the antidote for darkness? Light. The first word spoken in the Bible, beloved. The very first words spoken in the Bible are those of God when he said to an earth, covered in darkness. In Genesis 1 and verse 3, what did he say? Let there be light. Why? He brings the light in the darkness. When it is dark, beloved, guess what has to happen? Somebody has to come and turn the light on. Someone has to let the light in. This is what God does. This is who God is. This is what he does. This is who he is. The people, verse 2, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. And on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has gone. This is one of the most glorious and profound and wonderful pronouncements in all the Old Testament. Those in darkness will not be in darkness anymore. Why? Because God is going to come and light book if he was sin. He's going to lift the veil. He's going to lift the veil. He's going to bring the light. And those who are ignorant, they will not be ignorant anymore. Those who are pressed will not be oppressed anymore. Those who are poor will not be poor anymore. Those who are blind will not be blind anymore. The light will come. And you know what the light is? The light of God is increased. It's increased. Things better and he makes it more. More. Look at verse 3, you have enlarged the nation and increased their joy. They rejoice before you and people rejoice at the harvest as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. Why? Because when the light comes, so comes the increase. Life gets better because life gets more. More. More joy. More peace. Why? Because God never operates at a deficit. God never operates at a deficit. He always measures an increase. Always measures an increase. And the light of God brings more. Always brings more. More light means more grace, more kindness, more mercy, more goodness. He will enlarge his people. The kingdom will increase. The joy increases. There is an increase in faith. God's kingdom beloved is an ever-increasing kingdom. Okay, how it looks. Okay, how it looks with the naked eye. When the light comes, so comes the increase. Knowledge. Understanding. Increasing faith. Increasing love. We're increasing faith. We're increasing love. Don't laugh at that God. I know what you're thinking about. It is ever-increasing faith, though. Every increasing faith. Because the Bible says, that's what the Bible says, he didn't make that up. As the Bible says, Second Thessalonians 1 and 3, we are always to thank God for you brothers and sisters and rightly so. Because your faith is growing. What? More and more. And the love of all of you have for one another is doing what? Increasing. That's what the light of God does. So, it brings increased. It brings more and more and more. That's how you know that people are walking in the light. How do you know somebody's walking in the light? They're increasing in their joy. They're increasing in their love. They're increasing in their faith. It's increased. The light of God is increased. But you know what the light of God is also? The light of God is freedom. The light of God is freedom. Notice what it says in verses 4 and 5. For as in the day of mediums defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them. The bar across their shoulders, the rod of their presser, every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment, rolled in blood, would be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. Why is that important beloved? That is important because the darkness is a burden. The presence of the Syrian army and the presence of the Assyrians and Judah is an oppression. It is a darkness. It is a burden. It is a weight upon the backs of God's people. The presence of God brings the light of God, piercing the darkness and the light of God breaks every chain. I said, breaks every chain. Breaks every chain. Breaks every chain. Relief burdens. Breaks chains. Don't you hear me this morning? Don't you hear me this morning? I was going over this message this morning and I was praying. And I was like, Lord, I pray that chains would be broken and people that your people would know that your life has come and he is here and he breaks chains. He relieves burdens. He comes and takes the weight. He breaks every chain. By the light of God's grace, listen to this. By the light of God's grace, the instruments of the enemy are broken. They are broken and they are burned. Say broken and burned. Broken and burned. Broken and burned. The objects of your oppression, broken and burned. The tools of your soul's torture, broken and burned. The devices of your despair, broken and burned. The shape of your sin and the gloom of your guilt. God, broken, broken, broken and burned. This morning, beloved, it's not the light of God does. What the light of God does, that in Romans, chapter 8, verses 1 and 2. So now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Why? Because you belong to Him. The power of the light given spirit has freed you. Free you from the power of sin that leads to death. The life of God is freedom. Set you free. Set us free. Breaks every chain. Breaks every chain. Breaks every chain. That's the light of God. The light of God is freedom. And that freedom comes in the form of a person.
We're not talking about theory here, but God didn't send the theory. The light that He talks about comes in a person, verse 6. For unto us a child is born. To us a son is given. And the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called wonderful counselor. Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, of the greatness of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. For us creatures, for us mere mortals, for us creatures, light as a principle, a proposition that directs our understanding and reasoning. And that's how we talk about it. The principle of light over the principle of darkness, the principle of knowledge over the principle of ignorance. This is our book of teams doing. He's talking in principles. The principle that you're no longer going to be ignorant because I'm going to introduce the principle of education.
That's how we talk about it. The principle of knowledge over ignorance, the principle of good, over evil, the principle of life over death. But for heaven beloved, listen to me. For heaven, for God, light is more than a principle. Life is a person. Life is a person. When God promised to send his light, he wasn't promising to reveal a principle. He was promising to send a person. Somebody's coming. Who will embody and have light in him to us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. God is pleased to bring his light, his mercy, his grace through a child, through a child. Three times. Three times. A child is mentioned in his section of Isaiah. Three times. In chapter seven, the child is promised. In chapter eight, the child is given, but in chapter nine, in chapter nine, the full revelation of the child promised to Judah is the child that would change the world because this is no ordinary child. I said this is no ordinary child. This is the child of God's light and his light. This is the child of his mercy and his grace. This is the child that is no ordinary son. We've seen God use sons before. We know how God uses sons. He used the son of Abraham. He used Isaac. He used Moses. He used David. But here is coming one more remarkable than I said. Here is coming one more blessed than Moses. Here is coming one more gifted and God-leaving David. This child would be greater. Greater. Greater because he's not the son of Abraham. He's going to be greater because he's not the son of Jesse. He's going to be greater because this one would be the son of a sovereign God. Born sovereign. Born sovereign. Not subject to government. But over and above all human rule, earthly governments, you do understand, beloved, earthly governments stand on the shoulders of those who come before them. Not this one. Not this one. This child would not stand on the shoulders of those who come before him. But they would be upon his shoulders. The foundation of all governments, rule and authority. This son, whom the Colossians, who Paul says in Colossians 1 and verse 15, the son that is the image of the invisible God. The first born from all creation, for in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, being visible and invisible, where the thrones are powers of rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. The government shall be upon his shoulders. He's now not standing on the shoulders of others. All will be on his because he is a counselor and a comforter. Most wonderful. Most wonderful. You want to know what to do? Then you ask him. It has asked him. You want to know what to do? Take counsel with him. You need help. Call him. You need help. Call on him because literally what the text is saying, literally what the word it is is that he is a wonderful planner. It's what it means. When it says that he is a wonderful counselor, it means that he is a wonderful planner. He knows how to plan your life. He knows the plans he has for you. The Bible says, Jeremiah 29 and 11. He knows the plans that he has for you. Plans for your welfare not even. Plans to give you a future and a hope. This is the wonderful counselor. The wonderful planner. They might be God. All powerful. Victoria is God. He will be no ordinary man. So he will be the God man. He will be the God man. He will be the one that the wind and the waves obey. He will be the one to whom Satan will bow down. He will be the one in the face of sin and sickness will have to free. What matter of man is this who came and gave his life for me. This is the one. The mighty one. The mighty God. The eternal father. The preeminent peacemaker. He is Jehovah Shalom. He will be Jehovah Shalom. He will come in peace, bringing peace, proclaiming peace at his birth. The angels will declare peace to the world. His life will bring peace to all those who believe. His peace will be an everlasting peace because he will embody eternity everlasting, everlasting father. Knowing, knowing knowing to the increase of his reign. No end to the increase of his rule. He will embody eternity. His light will be an everlasting light so that God here promise to turn on a light that will never be turned off again. God promise to send the light that would never need to be replaced.
You won't need to replace it. That doesn't need to be replaced. It's a light that once turned on. Never gets turned off. And this is going to happen. I said this is going to happen. This is going to happen. This is what God says to Isaiah. Isaiah, you let him know. This is going to happen. How do we know it's going to happen? What Bible says? The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Oh, this is going down. This is going down. This is going down because this person, this person is God's passion. This person is God's passion. And there is nothing that the Lord God himself wants more than to bring this person to pass. This is God's heart's desire. This is his zeal. This is his passion. This is his pleasure. Nothing God wants more than to turn the light on in the midst of darkness. So it's no need to worry. It's no need to wonder if it's true because it is. I said it's true. I know. I know some things sound too good to be true. This is one of them. It sounds too good to be true. It sounds too good to be true. But you know what? The love of God's promise is always sound that way. That's why we don't believe him. But God's promise is always sound that way. When he promises that all your sins are forgiven, sounds too good to be true. But it is. But it is things work together for good. Sounds too good to be true. But it is. But it is. Nothing can separate you from the love of God that it didn't Christ Jesus. Sounds too good to be true. But it is. But it is. And you know why? Because Christmas is a real thing. Christmas is a real thing. Christmas is some for kids, fantasies, toys, cartoons. Christmas is a real thing. And if you haven't thought about it, Christmas sounds too good to be true. Santa Claus? Down the chimney? Toys? Rain deer, joycee. Sounds too good to be true. But here it is. Here's the promise of Christmas. The promise of God is that Christmas has come. Not Santa Claus. Not rain deer. Not toys down the chimney. But unto us is Santa's gift. Unto us to believe it. He comes. He comes. Christmas is coming. That's the promise that God makes here to his people, into the world. Christmas is coming. And you know what? The gritch couldn't stop it. And you know what? The burga might or couldn't prevent it. And you know what? Harry couldn't kill it. And you know what? Satan couldn't steal it. Guess what, Gritch? He came. He came. He came just the same. He came. He came. And when the first Christmas came, the love had risen. So too did the light came. The light was turned on. This is what Christmas is. This is what Christmas is. This is why you need to put up lights. Put up all your lights. Turn all your lights. Let anybody ask you. Why you got them lights? Because lights have come into the world. And you can't turn it out. Keep them up all year long. Keep them up. Christmas is. And it's God sending the sun to let the veil of darkness and reveal the light of the world which is Jesus in the world. It's what he does. John, chapter 1, verse 4 and 5, in him was life. And the life was what? The light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it. Not anymore. Not anymore. Not anymore. Who dwells in darkness and deep darkness. He's light. And the light that overcomes the darkness. The light that overcomes ignorance. The light that overcomes injustice. The light that overcomes sin. The light that overcomes death itself. That's why I believe in light. That's why if you know me, I believe in light. When I come into a room I want to turn on light. Somebody opened the curtains. Somebody let the light in. I believe in light beloved because I believe in Christ. The darkness comes. I know it does. The darkness still tries to creep in. I know it does. We are surrounded by it and it's steady. It tries to creep in upon our hearts and our minds. But listen to me beloved. The darkness comes but it doesn't come to say because always remember the light of God's mercy is on its way. Jesus the light of the world. So you walk in the light. Walk in the light. That's what we see. Not just at Christmas. We sing it all year long. Hark the herald angels. Jesus the light of the world. Glory to the newborn king. Jesus the light of the world. So you walk in that light. Beautiful light. Come wear the dew drops of mercy shine bright. Shine all around us by day and by night. Jesus. Jesus the light. The light. The light of the world. There are our people who walk in that light. Today and all ways in the name of Jesus the light of the world. Let's pray.