MORNING MESSAGE: John Cline
Isaiah 9:1-7
On Friday evening, Ken Bellous and I went to an information and fundraiser event for Aaron Cranton and the Old Strathcona Street Mission that our church has partnered with for many years. Their motto or working mission statement is that Edmonton does not have a homelessness problem but a hopelessness problem. The street people that they minister amongst live in a world without very much hope. But hopelessness is not confined in our society or world to those living on the street. People who look “good” or “alright” on the outside are actually living without hope. Today, we will see that when all hope is gone, God still is…and He will act. Before we get that biblical study, though, we must begin with an explanation of the Advent season.
Advent is a season observed by many Western culture churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.
Every month when we take communion, we acknowledge that we will continue doing so until Jesus’ Second Coming, until He returns. But Advent is all about Jesus’ first time coming to earth, in His birth.
The word “Advent” is a Latin word that means “Coming”.
Literally, that is what the word “advent” means: “coming. Historically,
The celebration of Advent began during the 4th or 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul. Advent was believed to be a season of preparation for those who were awaiting to be baptized in the coming New Year.
So, initially, Advent was a time for the individual who was awaiting to be baptized to prepare themselves spiritually for that momentous event, an event which then – as is still true today in many countries – brought with it the possibility of being murdered for that individual taking a stand as a witness to their new life in Christ. The culture of Spain and Gaul demanded the worship of other gods in the 4th/5th centuries. That is still true in too many cultures today. Being baptized for one’s faith in Jesus is a risk-inducing, life-changing practice. Thus,
It was not until the Middle Ages that Advent was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.
We are therefore now in the season of Advent, not in the season of Christmas, contrary to what our consumer-mad society proclaims. Advent runs from the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day until Christmas Eve at midnight. The Christmas Season begins at the first second of Christmas Day. When I was younger, I would go to “High Anglican” Christmas Eve Midnight worship services and after the final stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, we would begin singing Christmas carols. Bells would be rung. Candles would be lit. The Christmas celebration had begun, but before that we sang rather dreary Advent hymns in that worship service.
Today the Advent season lasts the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, in the following order:
Advent week 1 – Hope: Prophecy Candle
Advent week 2 – Peace: Bethlehem Candle
Advent week 3 – Joy: Shepherd’s Candle
Advent week 4 – Love: Angel’s Candle
Looking today at the first theme, that of hope and prophecy, let us recognize that when Jesus was born, the nation of Israel was sorely lacking in hope, under the thumb of the powerful Roman government with little to no hope of escape.
The people of Judea, as their nation was then called, were living in darkness. Hopelessness abounded. The Romans were fierce masters who worked hard to keep the people down and out. Though the situation today is different from back then, hopelessness still abounds now. In the past few years, people have lost too many loved ones to death, government policies which have shrunk the economic outlook has taken away the dream for many of ever owning their own house. The pandemic shattered too many family relationships and ended too many friendships. The celebration of fierce arguing and fighting for what people believe has taken away civility in public discourse.
But, as Christian apologist Allie Beth Stuckey wrote this past week for American Thanksgiving: The news feels dark. I’m thankful that this is our Father’s world. His eternal plan of redemption is going off without a hitch (though we often despair about that). Nothing surprises God or takes Him aback. He’s not ignoring injustice, evil, or pain. He sees it all. His wrath is kindling against wickedness, and one day He will come back to do away with all of it. He will save His people once and for all, and the blood of the innocent will be avenged. One day there will be no more sin, sadness, sickness, hunger, abuse, abortion, corruption, politics, gender confusion, or war. Just perfect peace and justice forever. Even if everything else feels hopeless – take heart in this.” And, so, according to Allie Beth Stuckey, there still is hope to be found in our world, but it rests in the Lord.
Hopelessness filled the nation of Judea at the time of Jesus’ first coming, but it also filled the nation of Judah (that’s the same nation, just different names) some 700 years before the birth of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah was alive when the Assyrians crushed the ten tribes and the northern kingdom known as “Israel”. Living in the southern kingdom known as “Judah”, Isaiah saw his relatives in Israel killed, crushed, or taken away into Assyrian exile. That nation of Israel would never recover from what happened. There had never been as cruel a nation as Assyria up to that point in history. It was the Assyrians who invented crucifixion. But that was for their enemies who they put to death. Upon those they took away into exile, an equally cruel punishment was inflicted. A big fishhook would be put into the nose of a captured prisoner, and through that fishhook would be strung a rope, the other end of which was attached to a horse, who at their Assyrian masters’ command, would take off, pulling the captive behind it. In the case of the Israelites, those captives were pulled a distance of over 500 kilometres north to Assyria (which was located in today’s northwestern Iraq/southeastern Turkiye region). The prophet Isaiah knew of that horror, but God gave him a powerful prophecy of hope for all people. We will read through it together, verse-by-verse. Let’s start:
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future, he will honour Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan. (Isaiah 9:1)
The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were the two tribes of Israel located in the northern region of Galilee and thus the tribal regions entered into first by nations invading Israel from the north. Those two tribal territories were the first ones seized by King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria in his campaign against Israel in 733 B.C. The land was overcome and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali dragged away behind the horses, taken all the way to Assyria. The “Way of the Sea” was possibly a name given to an ancient highway on the east side of the Jordan River on which the Israelites had been forced to march. What a hopeless scene, and yet, God, in His compassion and mercy, promised to do something incredible in that land without hope. Reading on…
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Is. 9:2)
Last week, the congregation sang the worship song “Here I am to worship” which has as its first line, “Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness”. That “light of the world” referred to is Jesus. The apostle John, the author of the gospel book bearing his name, wrote,
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. (John 1:9)
Jesus came to this world, John explained, to bring hope to a world filled with hopelessness, to bring the light of God into this darkened world. Isaiah, again writing 700 years before Jesus came to bring light and hope to the lightless, to the hopeless people of his time, penned words of hope. Let’s read:
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. (Isaiah 9:3,4)
How was God going to bring hope to a beaten-up, distressed people? How would he increase their joy? By remembering what God had done centuries before during the day of the judge Gideon, when the nation of Israel was surrounded by enemies and certainly in a hopeless state.
The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. (Judges 7:12)
There was not any way, humanly speaking, for Gideon and his army of 300 Israelite soldiers, to defeat, let alone defend themselves against, the tens of thousands of enemy soldiers who were massed on their border, ready to attack and overrun them. The reality was hopeless, but there was also God. He instructed Gideon to fight back by
Dividing the three hundred men into three companies (100 soldiers in 3 different locations). Gideon placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. (Judges 7:16)
When the Midianites and their companion armies heard the 300 trumpets blaring, echoing in the mountains all around them, and saw the lights of 300 or more torches lighting up the evening sky all around them, those enemies of Israel panicked, turned on one another, and ran for their lives. God provided a great victory for the Israelites and restored hope to them. Yet, as Isaiah later wrote, God was about to do something even greater, even more miraculous. Let’s read together,
Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. (Is 9:5)
Without the need of any bloodshed, according to God’s word of prophecy through Isaiah, a huge victory would be granted to the Israelites, and on to us, through the birth of a son, His son. Let’s read together about the birth of the child who would bring deliverance, hope, light, and victory! Reading out loud…
For to 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 Counsellor, 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. (Isaiah 9:1-7)
Listen to the names of Jesus, “aptronyms” as they are called, attributes that describe what he does and who he is. He started his ministry in the land of the shadow of death, to people walking in darkness, in order to show who he was (and is) and what he will do.
First aptronym of the baby born to us: “Wonderful Counselor”. An advisor or counselor who is “full of wonder” and is glorious, exceptional, astonishing, extraordinary. Life is filled with decisions, details, disasters, despair, and hopelessness. That’s why we need a “wonderful counselor”. Jesus is that to us.
Second aptronym of the baby born to us: “Mighty God.” Jesus is powerful, mighty, the strong one. He is, first, wonderfully profound in His counsel and, second, He has the might to accomplish what He wills. Jesus is not only the Son of God; He is also God the Son.
Third aptronym of the baby born to us: “Everlasting Father.” In this third adjective, we see that Jesus is before, above and beyond time. This literally means that He lives in the forever. Jesus was born as a child but loves like a Father. As you see the Savior in the stable, focus on the fact that He is the forever Father, who cares for you with compassion. He is not God the Father but acts like Him and, as Jesus said to the apostle Philip, “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The concept of a loving God is difficult to some but Jesus makes God the Father knowable to us. If you want to know what God the Father is like look at Jesus the Son. He provides hope.
Fourth aptronym of the baby born to us: “Prince of Peace.” This phrase can be translated, “The prince whose coming brings peace.” A prince in bible times was the “General of the Army,” and described leadership and authority. But Jesus is the prince who brings peace, as we will see more during this Advent season sermon series. We recall the words of angelic adoration in Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” Life was and is hard, just the act of surviving from one day to the next was a chore for the Jewish people and that is true for many of you today.
Our only hope is God. Some of you are struggling with hopelessness or despair or are feeling despondent. Don’t quit on life! Don’t give up! God is not finished, yet. Your dreams are still possible, as long as they are attached to God, because of the Lord. As the apostle Paul claims in Ephesians 2:12, we were “without hope and without God in the world” before Jesus came. But he came, after that, everything changed. The world was a terrible place before Jesus came on the scene. But then there was God…So, as a benediction, from Romans 15:13 – Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
