The Savior Is Born
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2010 · 12 December 2010
Isaiah chapter 9 really describes for us perhaps the most classic prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus Christ. And when you stop to consider a Christmas message there are all different ways that you can go at it, but perhaps it would be worth our while to examine an Old Testament prophet’s view of the birth of the Messiah, Christ the Savior of the world.
The light that came out of the darkness of Isaiah's day is the same light that we announce to a dark world today. In fact Isaiah could well have been a 21st century preacher from what is the indication of these verses that we shall look at.
We celebrate Christmas and the birth of Christ in a context of kind of a happy occasion. But when you really look around the world, it isn't anything to be real happy about. The money mad self-indulgence that goes on and often in the name of Jesus Christ does not bring any glory to Him.
The demon controlled world is mocking Jesus. When we talk of true honor the mockery seems all the greater, the hypocrisy seems even more blatant and the sin of rejection more blasphemous. The darkness of man's heart hasn't changed one bit. In these end times it has become even more and more depraved.
And yet it's a strange thing because all throughout the history of man in his darkness and his unwillingness to respond to Jesus Christ he has always wanted a Savior, he has always wanted a deliverer. Everybody has always looked for a peacemaker, somebody who could right the wrongs and make the injustices just.
The Bible tells us that God sent that kind of a Savior at precisely the right time. Exactly at the right moment in history Jesus Christ was born, at the right conflux of events, at the right strategic point in the history of man Jesus Christ arrived. Isaiah predicted this.
Isaiah 49:8, “Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.”
Ever since that Savior came it has always been the right time to receive Him and acknowledge Him. Christ the Savior of the world has been available to men every moment of every day since He arrived, two thousand years ago. And yet men continue to reject Him and continue to refuse Him.
It's in this kind of a dark, sick world that the announcement of Jesus Christ must continually and faithfully be given even though the world will not receive it. We know that it says in John 1:10 that Jesus Christ was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. Yet for those few that receive it God's promises are true.
Why was it so dark? Because there was so much idol-worship then just like today. When a person commits himself to worship a false god, a demon will take over that false god and in reality he will be worshiping that demon.
That's why they're hooked because those fallen angels can really function in their lives, and they can see strange and supernatural things happen as a result of worshiping an idol. We need to understand that and protect ourselves.
Paul said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 10:14, “Therefore my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Paul said, flee idolatry because idolatry is sacrificing and worshiping demons. And throughout the Old Testament every time a nation or Israel itself was involved in idolatry, it was nothing more than demon worship.
That's exactly what's going on in our world today. Many people are fooling around with all that goes with demonism, astrology, horoscopes, seeking the supernatural in a fleshly manner, familiar spirits, mediums, magic, witchcraft and the whole bit. And even false teachers who teach false doctrine and worship health and wealth can be used by fallen angels to deceive you.
It is against this backdrop that Isaiah speaks of the glorious coming of the Child who is God, the Savior born into the world. And friends, this is the message that we now have to tell others too. We're not announcing this to a wonderful world that's hanging in neutral, we're in the same kind of a black world preoccupied with demons and devil worship that Isaiah was in and our message comes to them just as Isaiah's did.
So here comes the promise from Isaiah 9:1-7, “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. 2 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.”
There's coming a time when the distress is going to end, there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish, and Israel's gloom and the world’s gloom is coming to a close. What a wonderful prophecy, the picture of misery is going to dissolve and the light is going to break. Even though the world may remain dark the light of life and salvation can be lit in your life and someday the world itself will be lit when Jesus comes back.
Why Zebulun and Naphtali? God is going to intervene there and salvation is going to come and where as God had formerly treated this little area with contempt because of their sin He is going to bring glory into that area. Galilee had just been through destruction, and Galilee stood as a great example of God's wrath and so by contrast would also stand as a great example of God's mercy.
Nobody would have ever predicted that the Messiah would arrive in Galilee. Galilee was the crummiest place of all. And Galilee had a bad taste for the Jews because it was right next to Gentile country and was actually called a nation of Gentiles. In fact when Jesus arrived He spent 30 years plus of His life in Galilee as Isaiah's prophecy predicted He would.
Doesn't the prophet say He's supposed to come from Bethlehem? Well don’t you know that He had been born in Bethlehem and moved to Galilee fulfilling the prophecy of Micah that He was born in Bethlehem, and fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah that He comes from Galilee?
He designed it to come to Galilee of the Gentiles. He was to be the world Savior, He was for all men, not just the religious leaders in Israel, not just the Jews but for all men, and thus did He go to Galilee. This is kind of an open rejection really of the Jewish religion as such which was hypocrisy without reality.
Isaiah 9:3-5, “3 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. 4 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. 5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, and garments rolled in blood, will be used for burning and fuel of fire.”
These 3 verses relate all to the hope of the coming Kingdom. The Kingdom is coming, be joyful, rejoice, victory and the end of all wars; and peace forever, the Messiah's Kingdom will come when He returns again. Let's rejoice in that hope and look at this Savior who came, and whom we need to announce to this dark world today.
Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 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.”
First of all notice it says, “a Child is born”, that speaks of His humanity, doesn't it? Jesus was a real human being, He was human and He was a man. The writer of Hebrews says He was as human as any man. He took upon Himself flesh.
Because He was human and because He felt what we feel and because He hurt where we hurt He is able to be sympathetic with us, and so He is a faithful High priest. He was a man and He had to be a man because He had to die in man's place, He had to bear man's sin and He had to feel man's pain.
But more than just a man, notice the second phrase in verse 6, "unto us a Son is" what's the next word. Not born, what? "given," given by whom? By God. This is His deity. He was not only a man, He was God. He was divine in human form. He had to be man to bear man's sin but He had to be God to defeat sin and defeat death.
This was no ordinary child, this is the virgin born Holy Spirit conceived Son of God. It is He who is the light in darkness, He is the hope shattering despair, this born Child, this given Son, He is the perfect one of God. He's the only hope for our dark world.
Men today search for wisdom, they search for answers, they search for the meaning of life, they search for solutions to their fears and problems. They go to psychologists, psychiatrists, analysts and counselors. They read books, they try everything, they even seek demons, yet they never get any real help, they in fact become more and more lost and without hope.
The Word of God says, first the Child is named Wonderful Counselor. I offer you Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only perfect Counselor that there is. You see as God He knows everything, wouldn't you like to have a counselor who knew everything? You see as God He created you and He knows exactly what you need.
He knows all about you, He knows all the needs of your heart and He knows how to answer those needs. He knows what's best for you, He knows how to solve your problems and He gives you wise counsel. He's not like Satan, He never lies and He never plays games, He always gives you straight stuff and He knows what you truly need.
But more than just a Counselor you need some energy, and that you see in the second name, He's also the Mighty God, He can not only teach you what to do but He the power to do it, isn't that great? And He can do what seems impossible for man.
You know one of the most amazing things in counseling is that people come to you and they say, here's my problem, and they go on and on about their problem. But when they are given the solution related to God, they leave and never even try it.
Usually people want you to tell them to do what they want to do; they want to get confirmation in what they're doing now. But that's not how it is with Christ; He not only shows you what to do but He gives you the power to do it. You see what a tremendous Savior He is?
Not only that, He is capable of redeeming men, of subduing the earth and all of its kingdoms and reigning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is power beyond power. And all that power is moved in behalf of you and me if we love Him and know Him and trust Him.
The third thing it says about Jesus is that He is the Everlasting Father. Not only is He a Son but He is also a Father, He is a child in time but in eternity He is the Father. John MacArthur says, “He is a Child of time and the Father of timelessness.” Wow!
Jesus Christ fathered eternity, isn’t that a heavy thought? He fathers eternal life for all who believe, and that's the main impact of what Isaiah is saying. He is to you and to me who love Him and receive Him the source of everlasting life, do you see that? And it is everlasting life together with Him!
And He is our Father forever, as it says in Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.”
Fourthly, He is called the Prince of Peace, and His Kingdom is peace. He came to bring peace in three ways. Number one, He gives peace between a man and God, when you come to Jesus Christ the war is over, the rebellion has ended, you're at peace with God. In Romans 5:1 it says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Secondly He puts peace in your heart, an inner rest, Philippians 4:7 says, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” No amount of counseling, no amount of money, no amount prestige and position will give you this kind of peace.
The third thing He comes again someday to bring a Kingdom of peace where He will reign as prince and King. He is, Paul says in Ephesians 2:14, "He is our peace." He came as it says in Luke 1:79, “To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
And then lastly, He is the peaceful Sovereign Leader of the World and that's in verse 7, where it says, “the government shall be upon his shoulder," that means the government of the earth not the government of your life, that's the final Kingdom of Messiah.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end," an eternal Kingdom of peace, "upon the throne of David" He has the right to rule, He is David's heir, "and upon his kingdom, to order it, to establish it with justice and righteousness from henceforth even forever.
A King is coming; and He will rule. He came once and offered His Kingdom and men refused and nailed Him to a cross, but He'll be back to bring His Kingdom. This time it won't be offered, it will be established here on earth and in heaven just for those who believe.
Let me close with just picking out two words out of verse 6 that are repeated twice. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Who is the us? To whom is this child given? Is it to everybody? No. Only unto us who believe. Isaiah was speaking to the godly remnant in Israel and the godly remnant everywhere.
May there be some here and there chosen by You God who shall come to know Jesus Christ in the fullest sense, to step out of the darkness of this world into light, to Your Kingdom of light.
Father we do realize that Jesus fulfills all the prophecies of the Old Testament, that He fulfills the hunger of the despair of every man's heart. Father we look at our world and we just are sickened at the lostness of men, who have eliminated God and are looking fulfillment and find it empty and despairing. Father help us to present the glorious shining light of Jesus Christ to everyone we meet. Amen!