Tag: Isaiah 9

December 25th 2024: Jonathan Scott

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To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/7WKJqk6iM6k?si=GI_dJH4YxZ2XPexE

I want to welcome you here on this most special of Days, which we remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This morning we will have a look at the account of His glorious birth and sing carols of praise to our king.

What do you enjoy about Christmas? Sometimes people say to me, ‘I’m so looking forward to time off work or school, to see friends, to have a break, to relax with food and family, to get lots of presents.’ While some of these things are important, it is nothing compared to the real meaning of Christmas. Everywhere you go people will wish you a happy Christmas. However all the money that is spent and the hustle and bustle means people can tend to forget the real meaning of Christmas. I want to tell you this morning of the greatest gift ever given, foretold for centuries, and is still the greatest gift 2000 years after it was given to us – that gift has been given to us if we accept it.

The First Christmas an angel appeared to some shepherds and said, ‘I bring you good tidings of great Joy.’ (Luke 2: 10-11). At Christmas you can be happy about the gifts, the nice things to eat and the other surprises that you might get on Christmas day. However, you can be especially joyful that the Lord Jesus came to be our Saviour. Without Him there would be no forgiveness for the wrong things we have done, there would be no hope of going to Heaven to be with Him. The promised Saviour came.

The announcement of the angel must have come as a surprise to the shepherds. They were afraid. They did not fully understand all that it meant that the Saviour was born. Here was the most important event in the history of the world so far and they were the first to know that the Saviour had come. What a privilege!

Before this great event in  Bethlehem 2000 years ago, let us look further back to the prophet Isaiah who foretold this at least 700 years beforehand. This is a story of a baby born in the most lowly of stables despite being the King of Kings who can save each and every one of us. He is also with us in every circumstance. He is God who is with us!

“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 Counsellor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

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 for evermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Matthew records the fulfilment of this prophecy in his gospel, 1:18-25. We are here this morning to celebrate the fulfilment of the prophecy from Isaiah 9, which was over 700 years before this account in Matthew chapter 1, when our Creator stepped into His creation in the most unbelievable way, stepping out of eternity into the constraints of time.

The Gospel of Matthew begins by introducing us to the “with-us” Jesus (1:23) and concludes with the same emphasis when Jesus told the disciples: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:20).

Matthew 1:22-23 is an important marker in his book. These verses record a momentous fulfillment of prophecy. The fact that Matthew highlights the ‘with us’ theme so early in his gospel unveils this as a key theme. All throughout his account we read of God’s presence with us and ultimately reaching its climax in the last verse when Jesus states to His disciples and us, (Matt 28:20).

God came down from the infinite glory of heaven into the finite world of man. The omnipotent Creator became one of creation’s most helpless  – a new born baby.

Many sermons will be preached today celebrating the birth of our Saviour, but today I find myself captured by the meaning of one of His names, Immanuel – which means God with us.  During this Advent season I have been contemplating the reason why God would leave the glory of heaven to be born in that lowly stable in Bethlehem.

In Matthew He is given two names. We read in verse 21 He is named Jesus, and in verse 23 He is then named Immanuel. What is the significance of these names?

Immanuel – “God with us” reflects Jesus’ unique nature as God in flesh, but also describes the direction of all of God’s actions from Genesis to Revelation. In the Garden of Eden, we see that God placed Adam and Eve there as more than caretakers of His creation, but also to form a special relationship with Himself as He would walk among them in ‘the cool of the day’. 

When Adam and Eve sinned, the relationship drastically changed. Yet even sin and judgement did not change the purposeful path of God’s love. Again and again God has been reaching out to His people in order to rescue them and this rescue plan came to being through the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

The name Immanuel describes His nature, whilst the name Jesus describes His mission. The name Jesus means ‘Saviour’. It is the same name as Joshua in the Old Testament and given to our Lord because He will save His people from their sins. This is His special mission from God, our Father: He saves us from the guilt of sin by washing us in His own atoning blood and granting us new life through Him, if we place our faith and trust in Him, asking for repentance of sins.

The earthly rulers of this world might have often called themselves great, conquerors, bold, magnificent, yet the Son of God is content to call Himself a servant, to save God’s people from their sins! His role is shown in John 3:17, ‘For God did not send His son Into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.’ The Bible tells us our need for salvation and how Jesus has to be a man to redeem us.

But I want us to look this morning and see the heart of a God who desired to come near His children. He was not content to be a distant deity removed from our real day to day life. Not like Bette Midler’s song which said that God was watching from a distance, no, not our God. He came as close as you could ever imagine. He stepped right into our human world and not even as an adult. He could have just appeared as a man at the Jordan river, been baptised and started His ministry, but no, our God wanted the whole human experience from conception to the grave.

The name Immanuel was first given as a prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

This name given to the Lord Jesus shows His nature. God with us, or slightly changed to God manifest in flesh: Jesus is ‘God with us’. He had a nature like our own in all things, except the sinful part. But Jesus was ‘with us’ in human flesh and blood, and at the same time truly God.

Those who followed Jesus for the three years of his earthly ministry experienced the presence of God with them in a very intimate and personal fashion. During Jesus’ last night with His disciples, Phillip asked Him to show them the Father (John 14:8). Jesus responded to him that if they had seen Him, Jesus, they had seen the Father.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus tells us that where two or three of us gather, in His name, He will be with us. While we no longer see His physical presence among us when we gather, but we can be assured that He is with us. As the church, we are His body. Wherever we are, He is as well.

In the New Testament gospels, Jesus’ followers experienced the presence of God with them in the person of Jesus. Jesus was God in human form, walking, talking, and eating with them. I have often wondered what it would be like to have spent time with Jesus like that.

But the reality is, we have an even more intimate relationship with God now. While Jesus walked side-by-side with the disciples, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. For those who believe in Jesus, God is with us every moment of every day. God personally entered our very humanity so that He would feel what we feel, live what we live, know the same limitations and the same temptations. His human experience allows Him to relate to us at our deepest point of need. The Christmas story is about a God who is near, a God who is here, a God who is real, a God who understands everything you feel.

Immanuel is so much more than Jesus coming. It is Jesus staying. God not only was with us – God is with us. He has always been with us and always will be with us. He is with us even now. From His coming to His going, God has been reminding us that He is with us.

Jesus came to earth to be ‘with us’, just Joseph and Mary found comfort in this truth, you too can have faith and reassurance that Jesus is Immanuel to all who trust in Him. His name is more than a title, it is a promise and it serves as a signpost until we reach our final eternal destination with Him. He alone is worthy of the name Immanuel, as He is the Holy God who draws near to us and the only One through whom we are able to draw near to God.  1 Peter 3:18 says, ‘For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.’

The baby that was born in Bethlehem, the greatest gift ever given, grew up to be a man who was perfect. He performed miracles, healed the sick, drove out demons, walked on water, and died for our sins. He is our wonderful counselor and Mighty God, who rose again on the third day and now is with us for eternity.

The Lord is our strength, our refuge. He is the one we can lean on in every circumstance as He promises that He will never leave or forsake us, if we put our trust in Him this Christmas.

Immanuel is not just a name to remember at Christmas, but throughout the year. The gift of Christ given at Christmas, is with us forever and He will come alongside us, if we accept the wonderful free gift of salvation today.  As the hymn says,

‘Every need His hand supplying,
Every good in Him I see;
On His strength divine relying,
He is all in all to me.’

If you do not know the greatest gift for yourself, do not leave here today without speaking to someone after the service. This could be the greatest gift you will receive today. 

December 25th 2023: Jonathan Scott

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

To watch this service, click on the link to our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/0FsiA2UcxAU?feature=shared

I want to welcome you here on this most special of Days, which we remember and celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. What do you enjoy about Christmas? Is it receiving gifts, having nice things to eat, being on holiday from school or work with your family? These are special things to look forward to. But I want to tell you this morning of the greatest gift ever given, a gift foretold for centuries and is still the greatest gift 2000 years after it was given to us.

The First Christmas an angel appeared to some shepherds and said ‘I bring you good tidings of great Joy.’ (Luke 2: 10-11). The announcement must have come as a surprise to the shepherds. They were afraid; they did not fully understand all that it meant, that the saviour is born. Here is the most important event in the history of the world so far, and they were the first to know that the Saviour had come. What a privilege.

This is a story of a baby born in the most lowly of stables, despite being the King of Kings . He is the One who can save each and everyone of us in more ways than one. The prophet Isaiah foretold this 700 years before the birth,

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, Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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.

(Isaiah 9 verse 6-8).

God made lots of promises throughout the Bible about the Saviour coming. For hundreds of years God’s messengers, the prophets, had spoken about the Saviour, whom God would send into the world. Can you guess how many promises there were? 50, 100, 200, 300? The answer is more than 300 promises about the Saviour and what He would do. God had even given 30 specific promises about the events of Jesus’s death on the cross and how He would rescue His people from their sins. The Bible says, “When the fullness of time has come, God sent forth His son.” (Galatians 4:4).

At exactly the right time in History, not a year too soon or too late God, sent His son into the world. He waited for everything to be ready for His promises to be fulfilled. For centuries God had been preparing the hearts of His People for the coming Messiah, Jesus.

Very often we do not prepare to celebrate Christmas as we should; we are in such a hurry there are so many things to be done at the last moment. God was not in a hurry. He chose the century, the year, the month and even the day when the Lord Jesus would be born. He had prepared everything with much care.

It is mentioned even back to Genesis about the promise that the saviour is coming, and here in Isaiah 9 we see this lovely promise of God that His son will be born who is,

‘Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

Not only is it promised that the babe is to be born, but it is promised of who He is to be born to. Isaiah 7: 14 reads, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” A wonderful miracle was going to happen in the body of a young lady, who had never been together with a man. No other baby was ever born like this one. Joseph was not the father of Lord Jesus Christ, God is His Father. The Son of God, who had always been with the Father in heaven, became Man. The Holy spirit worked in a mighty way, so that Mary would be the mother of this baby, who is God and Man in one person. He is Immanuel, which means God with us. We are not able to understand such a mystery, that the Son of God should live in the womb of Mary, before being born that first Christmas. Yet finally, when everything was ready, the promised Saviour was born. Every one of the promises concerning His birth, life, ministry and death were fulfilled exactly as God had said.

The Birth of Jesus Christ: Luke 2:1-7

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration whenQuirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels: Luke 2:8-20

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Many People were surprised by the place chosen by God for the birth of the Saviour. The people must have thought that the most important person in the history of the world should be born in a palace and surrounded by rich people. But no, the promised Saviour was born in a dark stable which was used to keep animals. Mary took the little baby, wrapped Him in cloth and laid Him in a manger (which was an animal feeding trough). The stable was a dirty place and didn’t smell nice either. The Lord Jesus was born in complete poverty.  The One who had created the universe, the King of Glory, humbled Himself as a little baby, who was weak and dependent upon His mother. God became Man, for Jesus Christ is fully God and Fully Man. Why was this necessary? Why did he come?

The Bible tells us that He came to save us from our sins (1 Timothy 1:15). We had disobeyed God and the only way that we could be saved from our sin was that the Son of God became Man and that He should die and rise again for us on the cross at calvary.

News spread over the countryside by the angel to the shepherds that the Saviour had been born in Bethlehem. People were so excited to see the Saviour, the shepherds went at once to see the baby. Are we so excited every day to get up and see and worship our saviour? We all go through seasons when we feel closer to God or feel more distant. It is important to note that this is not just a story that is told at Christmas time. It is completely true. It is important to look further than just to Bethlehem and the Saviour being born in a manger.

The Lord Jesus didn’t remain a little baby. He grew up and became a man. He was perfect, the only one who never sinned. He always obeyed His heavenly father. He would be conqueror over death and would conquer God’s enemy Satan.

God kept His promise. One day on the cross He took the punishment for our sins. He paid for us in full, not with gold or silver, but with His own precious blood. His life. We do not deserve such love. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He won the victory over Satan. If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you can take this promise for yourself.

Summary

From Isaiah delivering the promise of God, that the Saviour is coming, to Jesus being the fulfilment of this promise in being born in as a baby in Bethlehem, all the way to dying on the cross for our sins, this story we hear every Christmas time is about the greatest gift that we could ever receive: Jesus Christ our Saviour, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This Christmas, if you haven’t come to know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour I would urge you to listen to these words from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Take the words from Isaiah earlier of God being with us (Immanuel). If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, the babe that was born in Bethlehem will be your Saviour and He will be with you until the end of this age helping and guiding you through each and every situation. Please let the best gift this Christmas be that you accepted the baby that was born in the manger as your Lord and Saviour, knowing His love that He has for you, and you can share eternity with Him.


For those of us here, who have already accepted the Lord Jesus as our Saviour and received the greatest gift of all, your salvation, why not take a moment today to remember the goodness of God in that He kept His promises that He would send a Saviour, therefore we can trust Him to keep the other promises He has given to those who have trusted in Him – that He will never leave or forsake you? He truly is Immanuel, God with us, until we are finally home with Him for eternity.

The first Carol we sang this morning was, ‘O come all Ye faithful.’ It is my favourite carol because of the words in the chorus, ‘O come let us adore Him.’ For all that He has done for us, it has got to be our pleasure to do exactly that. Come and adore him for the rest of our days. We have done that throughout this morning, but my challenge is to you and me, Knowing the truth that the greatest gift has been given to us, and that He is with us in every situation, now can we adore Him each and every day of the coming Year ahead? Because He deserves all our adoration.

December 24th 2017: Ian Middlemist

Published on by Penuel Baptist RochLeave a comment

Ian - March 17Isaiah 9:1-7

The Saviour came into the world in obedience to the Father’s will. He sent His Son to save sinners. Praise the Saviour for His obedience.

We must consider other aspects of reasons for Christ’s coming. Sometimes we have a crisis in the business of it all, it can become all too much. The Saviour never once had such a crisis. His will was always united to the Father’s. The Saviour set His face towards the cross to save sinners and bring light to a dark world.

Why Christmas? Whys this glorious birth?

  • To redeem sinners
  • To bring light into a dark world.

‘The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.’ (1 Timothy 1:15).

In Christ’s first coming He is implementing a rescue plan conceived even before the world begun. Jesus was to come to save sinners. To do this He had to remove sin which came in, like an unwelcome virus, infecting mankind.

How can sin be eradicated? We need to begin with Old Testament. We see in Isaiah 9 the Lord was already addressing this through the Old Testament sacrificial system. One of the main themes in the epistle to the Hebrews is the numerous priests who, from generation to generation, placed burnt offerings as a sacrifice for sin, ‘The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.’ (Hebrews 7:23-24).

All of the Old Testament sacrifices would not put away a single sin, yet this was a God-given requirement for people of Israel, showing the enormity of the disease. A better sacrifice offered in a better tabernacle was necessary – a truly perfect sacrifice offered in the tabernacle of heaven. ‘For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.’ (Hebrews 9:24). Sins are crucified and buried in Christ.

Christmas is a time to remember past events but it is right to remember the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is wonderful that we can anticipate the return of the Saviour who was wounded for our transgressions. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.’ (Romans 3:23). We can thank God, as redeemed sinners, we can look forward to meeting Him who is to change all things. There is hope.

The apostle Paul says he is the worst sinner, guilty of blasphemy, guilty of persecuting the church. He sees his own sin in the light of God’s holy law and realises even if he were the only sinner in the world, Christ would still have had to shed His blood for his sin. If Christ can save Paul, He can also save you and me – hell-deserving as we are. We need to ask Jesus for the gift of redemption and grace.

Christ also came to bring light into a dark world, ‘I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.’ (John 12:46).

‘If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.’ (John 15:22).

Bright light is a mixed blessing. Switch a light on and it frees us from the impression of darkness which brings fear. But it also reveals ugly flaws and imperfections. Since the fall of Adam God sent prophets who exposed, with precisions, the darkness of sin. As powerful as these prophecies were, the prophets were still sinners. However eloquently they spoke, it was still on a hazy canvass. Christ exposes sin but He delivers us from sin. 700 years before Christ’s birth Isaiah says, ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.’ (Isaiah 9:2).

It is so fitting the birth of Jesus Christ was heralded by bright light. The shepherds saw the glory of the Lord, the star directed the magi. There is still more glorious light, ‘Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’ (John 8:12).

Just before His death Jesus said the light is among you for just a little longer. We are to walk in the light. When this light was lifted up to Golgotha, the light of God’s love shone brightly in the darkness. We take light for granted until we are without it. Praise God that the light has come and shone into our hearts.