First Baptist Church Litchfield
chapel 12/11

      • Isaiah 7:14ESV

      • Isaiah 9:6ESV

  • Joy To The World
  • The First Noel

      • Luke 2:8–14ESV

      • Luke 2:15–20ESV

  • Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
  • Go Tell It On The Mountain

  • The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

    In the Bible, the shepherds were the outcasts of society, yet they were the first to receive the news of Christ's birth. This act shows us that hope often arrives in unexpected ways. When we feel marginalized or hopeless, God breaks through our despair just like the angels did for those shepherds, reminding us that even in our darkest moments, hope is on the horizon, ready to transform our circumstances.
    Disappointment is failed hope. For many, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. Some have lost loved ones. Others suffer in poverty. While many are afflicted by mental health problems. Furthermore, There is some confusion in our culture about hope.
    True hope is not limited to four weeks out of the year. Genuine hope cannot be bought. The hope everyone is looking for, the long lasting, eternal giving hope that Christmas provides, is found in the birth of the Messiah.
    When the world went dark God promised he would send a light into the world. When the world broke under the burden of sin, God promised he would send someone to restore the world. When the world came under the rule of the prince of darkness God promised he would send the prince of peace, one who would be our advent hope.
    This morning I want to open up one of God’s promises about that relates to Christmas morning. I want to do this because I am convinced that the hope that everyone longs for during Christmas can be had all year long, and once you know the true meaning of Christmas, you can live in that hope, a hope that does not disappoint.

    Though our world feels despairing, the birth of Jesus as our Messiah shows that true hope lies not in circumstances but in Christ's eternal presence, guiding us from darkness to light.

    Isaiah's prophecy shares two stunning truths. First, it speaks of a hopeful future with a Messiah who chooses to leave heaven and come to earth to live righteously as one of us. Isaiah says in verse six, “For unto us a child is born, a son is given.” God will send his son into the world the same we every other person comes into the world, by being born. God’s Son will take on flesh, that is God will become human. We call this the incarnation.
    But if God’s son becomes human, does he stop being God? No! The Messiah is Son of God. He is fully divine, but he will have two full natures. He will be both fully God and fully human. The Messiah who delivers his people will be the God-man.
    The Messiah God-man will also bear the burden of ruling over his people. Isaiah says, “the government will be upon his shoulders.” God’s Messiah is a King. He will ruler with power and authority the entire world. But Isaiah he says, he will not be like ordinary human kings.
    Second, Isaiah shows us that the birth of this Messiah marks a significant turning point for all of humanity. This expected child is the Light of the World, guiding us from the shadows of darkness into his wonderful kingdom of righteousness. The promised child will be a Messiah King who is the light of the world, and he will rule with the light over his people. Isaiah reveals the kind of King the Messiah will be, and the hope he offers us.

    Wonderful Counselor

    Isaiah 9:6 ESV
    6 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.
    In the first eight chapters of Isaiah’s book, human kings have been full of folly and lacked spiritual discernment such as Ahaz. In Isaiah 1:26, God promises to restore his people’s wicked judges and foolish counselors in the coming kingdom. In Isaiah 5:21, God pronounces a woe to those who are wise in their own eyes. Human beings are naturally foolish, and our leadership reflects that truth. By contrast, the coming King will be a wonder of a counselor.
    As a wonderful counselor, he will be like a sage with extraordinary wisdom. It will be supernatural. It know no end and baffle the human mind. For example, God’s wisdom finds strength in weakness, victory in surrender, life in death, peace in the struggle.

    Mighty God

    The title “Mighty God” is a reference to his deity. The Hebrew phrase used in our conveys the idea of a great hero. Furthermore, every time it is used in the Old Testament, it refers to Yahweh. For example,
    Isaiah 10:21 ESV
    21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
    Deuteronomy 10:17 ESV
    17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
    Jeremiah 32:18 ESV
    18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts,
    There is no mistake about it. The Messiah will be fully divine, God who came down in the flesh. He is a mighty God, a great hero to his people. This king will have God’s true might about him, power so great that it can absorb all the evil which can be hurled at it until none is left to hurl (53:2–10; 59:15–20; 63:1–9; Oswalt, John N). The Messiah King will be a great hero to his people.

    Everlasting Father

    Many kings try to show a fatherly touch in their leadership, but unfortunately, many struggle to do so effectively. Even the kindest kings can only provide limited paternal care because, after all, they are only human. They might rule for many years, but eventually, they all must confront the reality of death. This is where the Messiah King stands out.
    Isaiah describes him as the everlasting father. He will lead with the loving guidance of a good father in a family. Jesus beautifully exemplifies this kind of fatherly leadership by referring to God as our father in Matthew 6:25-32
    Matthew 6:25–32 ESV
    25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
    Not only will the Messiah King rule like a good father, but his reign will never end. He is the everlasting king. Death will never take away his kingship.

    Prince of Peace

    The Messiah King’s final title is his most prominent one. He is the Prince of Peace. The Messiah King’s rule will bring everlasting peace to the world. He will rule the world, not with brute force, but with truth, kindness, and wisdom. The Messiah King will reconcile God to man, and man to his brother. Darkness will be conquered entirely by his light. Evil will be erased. Justice will prevail over all creation. The Messiah King will bring a peace that surpasses all understanding. Isaiah says as much in verse 7,
    Isaiah 9:7 ESV
    7 Of the increase of his government and of 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.

    Kingdom of Justice

    Isaiah 9:7
    God's unending kingdom, will be headed by His Messiah King. Justice and righteousness are the hallmarks of His reign. And his kingdom will have no end.

    Who is the Messiah King?

    This remarkable child is Jesus! He beautifully fulfills Isaiah's prophecy—our Christmas Messiah! Jesus is here to rescue and redeem us. He is our King, a wonderful counselor; the Word made flesh, and the truth that reveals God’s loving salvation to everyone. Jesus is our great hero, who came into the world as a child and grew into a man willing to lovingly sacrifice his life on the cross for our sins. His perfect sacrifice was embraced by God on your behalf, enabling you to be forgiven and welcomed into God’s loving family. God raised Jesus from the dead, empowering Him to be the eternal, fatherly ruler, guiding His kingdom with justice, righteousness, and kindness. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, offering eternal peace to everyone by reconciling them with God. He is the Messiah Isaiah foretold over 4,000 years ago, the promised King sent by God as His greatest gift to humanity. He is your Christmas hope now and forever eternity.‌
    Embrace the hope that Jesus' arrival brings. Look past your current fears or discomforts, even if they feel overwhelming. Trust in God's promise, realized in Jesus, who offers himself as a precious gift. He will serve as your Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He embodies your Advent Hope, for he is returning to gather his followers. We patiently await his second coming. This time, he will not arrive as a child, but as a King. He will unite all his followers as the King described by Isaiah in chapter 9, but he will also act as a King who judges both the living and the dead. Those who have rejected him will face judgment. Therefore, today is the day for salvation. He presents himself to you as the greatest Christmas gift. Will you choose to place your hope in Jesus?

      • Isaiah 9:6ESV

      • Isaiah 10:21ESV

      • Deuteronomy 10:17ESV

      • Jeremiah 32:18ESV

      • Matthew 6:25–32ESV

      • Isaiah 9:7ESV

  • Empowered by the Spirit, Guided by the Word
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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