12/15/2024: Isaiah 8 “Hope in the Real Thing”

This episode highlights the importance of placing hope in God instead of pursuing substitutes that can lead us astray, particularly during the Christmas season. We discuss the dangers of dismissing God’s Word, the issues with consulting unconventional sources like the occult, and the need to keep Christ at the center of holiday celebrations while emphasizing the true meaning of grace and redemption. 

• Review of the historical context in Isaiah surrounding King Ahaz 
• Importance of cherishing and obeying God's Word 
• Warning against the allure of occult practices 
• Emphasizing the true story of Christmas amidst modern distractions 
• Reflecting on the redeeming nature of grace and faith 

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:22

Good morning church. If you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to turn to Isaiah, chapter 8. It was really neat to see my little girl come up here to read Scripture this morning. She came up to the pulpit and she said good morning church. And I was like that's my girl, right there. She's been watching her dad for a while. Well, we are super excited. It's Christmas time, of course we have baptisms next Sunday. We we are super excited. It's Christmas time, of course we have baptisms next Sunday. We're very excited about that. Amen.

Speaker 1 0:51

If you're in Christ and you want to be baptized, you can let me know before you leave today. It's not too late. We love to baptize people here, so we can make it happen next Sunday, just see me before you go. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. And next Sunday, just see me before you go. Let's go to the Lord in prayer and then we'll go to His Word.

Speaker 1 1:09

Father, your Word says that an angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense with the prayer of the saints rose before God from the hand of the angel and the angel took the cens of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel and the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth and there were peals of thunder and rumblings and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. And, lord, we know, the prayers of the saints are held as treasure before the throne of God until the appointed time when they're taken up like fire from the altar and thrown down upon the earth to bring the consummation of your kingdom. We know billions upon billions of prayers over the last 2,000 years, as your people have cried out again and again Thy kingdom come, thy kingdom come. Not one of these prayers, prayed in faith, has been ignored. Not one of our prayers has ever been lost or forgotten, not one has been ineffectual or pointless. They've all been gathering on the altar before the throne of our mighty God. And so, lord, we add to that number today. We pray for your presence, we pray for your wisdom, we pray for your grace and we pray that your Spirit would be our mighty teacher and that we would make much of Jesus and less of self. Amen. Isaiah, chapter 8,.

Speaker 1 2:46

I'm going to read from verse 19. When someone tells you to consult mediums or spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word's instruction and the testimony of warning, if anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land. When they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom and they will be thrust into outer darkness. This is God's Word.

The Dangers of Substituting for God

Speaker 1 3:36

Well, the Christmas season seems like an odd time to talk about health and wellness. I mean, I'm certain there's going to be more sugar consumed over the next few weeks than at any other time of the year, maybe even more than Halloween. And then, of course, january 1st comes along, and well, we can call them not New Year's resolutions, but we always call them like it's a midway through January resolution that we make. I know the boxing club fills up for about three or four weeks, the Y fills up for a little while and of course it's empty again. Up for about three or four weeks. The Y fills up for a little while and of course it's empty again. And what's more, the industry that drives the so-called health food is nearly a one trillion dollar per year monster. So we get meat substitutes, we get soda substitutes and sugar substitutes and all kinds of science experiments to get people quotes healthy.

Speaker 1 4:26

But we are discovering that these substitutes are often much worse for you than what they are meant to replace. For instance, you've probably all heard of saccharin. It's been around for a while. It was discovered in 1879 by a German scientist working for the oil industry. He was trying to study the oxidation of coal tar and he noticed somehow that there was a sweet taste on his hands and on his food, and so he discovered saccharin made from coal. Yum. And now we know that it's been linked to liver and renal failure and brain cancers and diabetes. But now you can even go to fast food places and get quotes healthy, plant-based burgers the Impossible Burger at Burger King or the McPlant, that's what it's called. Mcdonald's says it is a juicy burger made with a plant-based patty. Nothing in that sentence makes any sense to me whatsoever. I was reading in the New Scientist and they said these alternatives are likely worse for our health than the meat versions they're trying to replace and quite often the substitute is much more deadly than the original.

Speaker 1 5:47

And that's exactly what we see here in our text. You see, the theme of Advent for us this year is hope, and the Lord, through Isaiah, is telling us we need to put our hope in the real thing. There is no substitute for the living God. No matter what we try, no matter the substitute we create, it will be deadly to us. So today we're covering some familiar territory in Isaiah, but in this passage we're going to unpack three big ideas, all related to hope. But let's start with this idea of the fact that there are no substitutes for God. Verse 19, when somebody tells you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Speaker 1 6:39

So, if you recall from a few weeks ago, isaiah is giving a message from God to the bad king Ahaz. The guy is completely tragic. He didn't believe in God, he didn't trust God, but he trusted in the gods of the nations that are around Israel. So he gave the nation of Israel over to its enemies in judgment. And so, in desperation, ahaz, instead of relying on God, sought a substitute. He appealed to Assyria, and he made matters much worse than they were before. There was a simple way out of the problem for Ahaz Return to God, trust God. But he would rather trust and die in his pride and his unbelief. Now we might not run to the Assyrians when we face trouble in our lives or when times are good, but our hearts are like a factory for idols and we create our own substitutes. You see, god has already given us His full revelation in the living and written Word, the Bible. What we need for life and salvation is already found in here, isn't it? Amen, somebody. So, like Ahaz, we can miss what God has for us and do one of two things with the Word of God.

Speaker 1 7:54

Now, I'm not talking about the world. I'm talking about those who would say yes, I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing that we can do and should do is we should cherish it and obey it. The second thing I mean we should cherish and obey God's Word. There's no doubt that's actually what Jesus tells us to do, isn't it? If you love me, keep my commands. Jesus' commands were not mushy Hallmark movie commands. They are real-life commands about all areas of who we are. I want to cherish in God's Word. I want to personally, I want to be remembered as someone who loved God's Word so much that it permeated all that I am. When I do memorial services or funeral, I try to think of, I try to listen to. When people talk about the person who went on to be with the Lord, there's always a common theme. There's always a common word that comes up. For some it's caring or loving, for others it might be bold, but what I want for at my funeral, I want whoever's preaching it to say he loved God's Word, because that's what people say about me. If that's what they say about me when I'm gone, glory to God.

Speaker 1 9:07

The second thing that we can do is dismiss God's Word. I don't think we would ever admit to this, however, maybe we might only dismiss portions of God's Word. We can give it the old Thomas Jefferson treatments. I mean you could still buy the Jefferson Bible, don't? I mean? Great statesman, father of our nation, awful theologian. Basically, thomas Jefferson took out all the claims of the divinity of Jesus Christ, including the resurrection. So the Jefferson Bible has the stone laid at the tomb, but it was never rolled away. So we might never be so brazen, but we can make claim that we love it and we want to live by it, but then live a life in complete opposition to what God has commanded to us. We give it the Jefferson treatment. I like this, but I don't like this. I'll ignore this and I'll say that I cherish this.

Speaker 1 10:03

Isaiah uses the example of occult practices, doesn't he? We can go beyond the Word of God to consult the occult. The largest growing religion in the United States today is Wicca, which is the occult Like, oh no, no, they're good witches, okay, but when we do, we're marring God's image in us, aren't we? Ultimately, we're just exalting ourselves. We cannot say that we love Jesus and turn to the occult for secret knowledge and power. We can't say that we love Jesus and dismiss portions of the Word. We can't say that we love Jesus if we don't do what he's commanded us to do.

Speaker 1 10:47

It's unthinkable to Isaiah that a person who knows God and has His teaching and testimony would consult mediums. So, christian, I mean, if you're going to get your palm read or hiring somebody to read tea leaves and looking at your horoscopes for guidance. They're all counterfeit oracles, they're nothing but a poor substitute and they belittle God as an inadequate revealer of truth. Now let me pause here, because there are those who love horoscopes or tea leaves and say, hey, I can love Jesus and still do these things because they're harmless. Not according to Isaiah, not according to God's Word, and I think the fact that some think it's harmless demonstrates how dangerous they are to our soul and our walk with Jesus Christ. It says God is either unable or unwilling to tell me what is good for me to know, and so God lacks the power and or the goodness to help me, and so I'm going to take matters into my own hands. Whenever we read the scripture and somebody takes matters into their own hand and don't trust God, it always turns out perfect, doesn't it? Sweet mercy.

Speaker 1 11:59

No, how many things do you do that are contrary to God's word that you feel are harmless? Goulet, this isn't hurting anyone. This is just how I live my life. I'm going to smoke weed. It's harmless, it's natural, it's from nature. It's harmless. I'm going to lose self-control over what goes into my mouth. I'm not hurting anyone. I'm going to lose self-control over what comes out of my mouth because it's not hurting anyone. I'm going to hold a grudge. I'm going to slander, I'm going to gossip. I'm going to be a grump, because that's who I am and it's harmless Grumps. I can love Jesus. Oh, hello, let's take a 10-minute break. You've got to be preaching this morning. I think it's gone, is it there? Do re mi? These harmless things are dangerous to my voice and your soul, and the fact that you think it's harmless demonstrates just how dangerous these things are to your soul when you walk with Jesus Christ. All right, I'm back, baby.

Speaker 1 13:11

And I think this has always been the biggest challenge with once saved, always saved. I believe that's true. If you're in Christ, you're always going to be in Christ, but it's often used as a blank check to sin, isn't it? Many of those who go off the rails even after coming to Christ? And they'll say to me when I attempt to shepherd them oh hey, once saved, always saved. Man back up, yeah, but that's not a license to live contrary to God's revealed will.

Speaker 1 13:44

Now, friends, listen to me. Some of you are spiritually dry. Why, and you don't really know why, and you've been like that for a while and you sense, you know what there's this gap that's just grown between me and the Lord, and I can't really figure out why. Well, we know the Christmas story, don't we? That there was no room for Jesus in the inn. Some of you have taken in so much of the world that Jesus doesn't have room in your heart anymore, like a shiny Christmas present under the tree that's empty. You look nice on Sunday and you look better than others, but you're empty.

Speaker 1 14:26

Listen to me, god does not abide with sin. God does not abide with sin. If you are full of sin, if your life is so contrary to the revealed will of God, he is not going to abide with you. He's just going to wait outside, isn't he? That's what Revelation tells us.

Speaker 1 14:50

All those letters to the churches, those people, the churches were so full of sin, the churches were so full of sin, the people were so full of sin. Jesus said hey, or as we'd say in New Hampshire, I'll be out in the yard, I'll be outdoors. He wasn't talking to unbelievers, was he? He was talking to redeemed and blood-bought Christians. He said I'll be outside, I'll stand at the door and knock, but if you want me to come in. We've got some cleaning to do.

Speaker 1 15:15

Therefore, people who love God and trust His goodness and depend on His sovereign power, we will shun the practices of the occult. We've got some cleaning to do Now. You might be thinking you know what, goliath? You sound like a Puritan Good. The church could use some more Puritans, couldn't it? You see, the occult feeds Satan's pride and our pride. Every act is seen as him taking over on the power of God, just like he told Adam and Eve right. If you do this, you'll become like God, no matter how innocent the practices of they seem at first. They are all dimensions of rebellion that's been underway since the garden and it, and it costs us. It costs us that childlike submission to the lord who has saved us to try to get some cheap imitation power so that we can be called great. Now let me try. Let me try to land this at Christmas for us Right now and for a few generations.

Speaker 1 16:23

Our culture, and of course our enemy, has fought very hard to remove the Christ from the Christmas. There are so many poor substitutes for the fact that unto us a child was born and there will be very few movies on in the coming weeks that even mention the Christ child. I mean, some big city girl is going to move back to her hometown and meet some grumpy baker and they're going to fall in love and buy a tree farm Every single one. Sorry, I said I wasn't going to bring it up again, and here I am, but there's going to be no mention of Jesus. Our favorite movie at our house is Elf no mention of Jesus. But I'm going to be no mention of Jesus. Our favorite movie at our house is Elf no mention of Jesus, but I'm going to watch it. It's fun, it's tradition.

Speaker 1 17:02

So what do we do? Do we boycott Christmas? No, here's my advice as believers in Jesus Christ, we need to keep Jesus at the center of everything that we do, not just at Christmas, but in all of our life, certainly with a focus over the coming weeks. We need to keep Jesus centered, don't we? And I get this question every year what about the guy in the red hat? Oh, here's my advice you ready? I love, love Santa. I believe in Santa.

Speaker 1 17:39

Before you fire me, listen, there's a real, true history about the man, history that is good to teach your children now. It might surprise many today that Saint Nicholas is a real person. He is real person. He was a bishop from the third century. Over the course of his entire life, he was known for being extremely generous generous especially to children. And, of course, as the story of his generosity spread, so did the story of his life. He became a legendary, and by the sixth century there was a church dedicated to him in what is now Istanbul. It used to be called Constantinople, and his image in the 6th century was depicted more than any other, except for those of the Christ and of Mary. And, of course, he became Saint Nicholas, and so the Dutch started calling him Sinterklaas, which is just fun to say. You could try it Sinterklaas. We call him Santa because of Martin Luther.

The Real Story of Christmas Grace

Speaker 1 18:44

Martin Luther was a German, played a big role in the legend that Luther wanted a Protestant alternative to the Roman Catholic practice of celebrating the Feast of St Nicholas, and so, instead of giving gifts in the name of Santa Claus on December 6th, Luther started the tradition of giving gifts in the name of the Christ child on Christmas Eve. So if you are Protestant as we are, there is overwhelming evidence that you should be able to open at least one present on Christmas Eve. Parents, you're welcome that you should be able to open at least one present on Christmas Eve. Parents, you're welcome. So my suggestion I'm going to get so many emails this week my suggestion is you fall in love with the true history. Fall in love with the embellished traditions, the songs, the movies, the stockings, the presents.

Speaker 1 19:29

I love all of it. I even love that mall Santa that has that restraining order on me because I sat on his lap. It's funny. It wasn't funny at the time. And I know there's Bible scholars and there's pastors who are much smarter than I am who would disagree with me. That's fine. If you disagree with me on this, it's fine. I heard a song written just for you just this week. It goes you're a mean one, mr Grinch.

Speaker 1 20:01

And then, of course, rc Sproul said it best. He said every generation has its abundance of Scrooges. The church is full of them, humbug, and our kids grew up with stockings hung by the chimney with care and they're all following Jesus and they all love Jesus. Because we love them, we love Christmas and Jesus is the center of all of it. Our silly traditions, all the stuff that my bride and my daughters tell me we have to do. We have to do it. If we don't do it. It's a deficiency, because that's what we do. It's family, it's love, it's Christmas. I mean, if your Christmas traditions involve hiring a medium or having somebody come and read tea leaves for you, stop, don't do that. They're poor substitutes. But if you want to keep Christ in Christmas, make sure that he is the center of your life first. Keep Christ in Christmas, make sure that he is the center of your life first. If Christ is a center, you will discover grace. If the king that Isaiah was speaking to would have done that, he would have found grace as well.

Speaker 1 21:02

You see, the Christmas story told by Isaiah. It really doesn't resemble what's familiar to us. He never mentions a star or a hillside, or shepherds or the stable or manger. Never mentions a star or hillside, or shepherds or the stable or manger. In a sense, isaiah brings to us the harsh reality of why Jesus had to come. He forces us to take that charming, distorted picture at times, because the real story really isn't as quaint. The manger was real, and so were the shepherds and the star, but it wasn't warm and cozy.

Speaker 1 21:31

The spotlight of history was not focused in on Bethlehem. Unlike royalty, jesus grew up unnoticed and His ministry was not widely accepted. You see, to me the amazing thing about the Christmas story is that Jesus survived Herod. It's that anyone would follow Jesus. It's that the church has been established. It's that the message of His redemptive ministry is known around the world. The astounding thing is that this baby, born in obscurity, became the most significant person in human history. That's the real story.

Speaker 1 22:10

You see, isaiah speaks of Him in majestic terms, so that we would expect the Messiah to be described. He would be wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of Peace. He would be the light shining in darkness. And that brings us to this big second piece here. And that is real grace. Look at chapter 9. Just flip over one chapter to chapter 9. Look at verse 1. He says Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who are in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun, the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light On those living in the land of deep darkness. A light has dawned Now, of course.

Speaker 1 22:54

Matthew would later quote this chapter talking about Jesus and he says leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet. A look at the Bible atlases will show that Zebulun and Naphtali in the Old Testament are the same area as Galilee where Christ ministers in the New Testament. So Jesus' Galilean ministry, related to us in Matthew 4, is a direct fulfillment of what we read in Isaiah.

Speaker 1 23:26

Isaiah had made this prophecy hundreds of years before Christ was born. Modern scholars often say that this was impossible and figured that it must have been added after the beginning of the Christian era. But the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls of Qumran in 1947 actually validate everything that was written in Isaiah, written much further in the past than when Christ first had his first advent. See, god came to his people first, when they had suffered the most, and from that place launched salvation out into the world. Galilee is where Jesus grew up and from there salvation would go out into the world. The area knew slavery and despair, but God turned invasion, and even this one that Isaiah is talking about, into mission by making the people of Galilee the first to see the light of Jesus.

Speaker 1 24:18

That's how God ushered in this new era of triumphant grace. You see, we made no contribution to it. The ones walking in darkness suddenly found themselves blinking and straining to see under the new light they had never seen before. This light, of course, is Jesus, the glory of the King, and he shines to us in His grace. And just like the kingship of Jesus now listen to me, this is important Just like the kingship of Jesus, everyone is under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, even the atheist and the agnostic.

Speaker 1 24:55

Jesus is King, whether you believe he is or not. Jesus is God and Creator and Judge whether we believe he is or not. The same is true of grace. We get grace whether we want it or not, because there's two types of grace from God. There's common grace and saving grace. Common grace, best understood, is the goodness of God in creation. Every breath, every step, every new day is shown to everyone who deserves His wrath. God postpones His wrath and gives life, even to those who are His enemy and far from Him. That's common grace. This common grace, however, falls short of saving grace.

Speaker 1 25:44

All humans still need the saving work of the Spirit to reconcile them to God. You see, saving grace is that comes to us from God, that brings salvation. You see, saving grace is that comes to us from God, that brings salvation. His saving grace, it's unmerited favor of God that reconciles sinners through Jesus Christ, because God is sovereign. That's what it means to be a king. He is in control of everything. And so we receive unmerited favor, unearned favor. And the fact that God shows us grace really presupposes our guilt, doesn't it? We won't need grace if we're sinless and good, and far too many people who go to churches just like this all over the place, come here and they're like well, I am sinless and good. No, you're not. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and we only receive a sinless status if we put our faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn't mean we become sinless, we might sin less.

Speaker 1 26:46

Sam Storm says grace has meaning only when men are seen as fallen, unworthy of salvation and liable to eternal wrath. You see, not only do we not deserve grace, we do deserve hell. God's grace means we don't get what we deserve, whereas His mercy means we get what we don't deserve Salvation. Say that ten times fast. Fallen and unredeemed humanity is not to be conceived as merely helpless, but as openly and vehemently hostile toward God. We are helpless to change it, and so we might seek after cheap substitutes for God. But God, in His grace, takes the initiative and he gives someone to stand in our place, to take His wrath as a substitute for us. Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who are in distress. Every single person born is naturally walking in the darkness. Friends, you see, that's the Gospel, isn't it? We are naturally born apart from God.

Speaker 1 27:52

Enemies of God Because of rebellion against are naturally born apart from God, enemies of God because of rebellion against God. And you can say you know, wait a minute, wait a minute. I am not, I'm not part of this. I'm not an enemy of God. I don't know God, I don't believe in God. I'm a good person, certainly better than the person sitting next to me. I'm better than other people. Now, you might be agnostic toward God, you might be atheistic or even antagonistic toward God, but the reality is you are rebelling against Him. If you are not in Christ by faith, you are rebelling against God.

Speaker 1 28:29

Rebellion against God means separation from God in this life and in the next. That's the lie of universalism, isn't it that everyone who dies, everywhere, no matter what, goes to heaven when they die. Why would Jesus stand for you in the next life when you ignored Him and shunned Him in this life? God's grace comes to us, however, in the Gospel, and God says you are sinners, you are separated, you are enemies, but here is my Son Jesus, the ultimate substitute for you, a good substitute. A Savior has come. That's why the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. The King is here. He lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve, so that if we turn from our sin and put our faith in Him, we would be saved. And when you are saved, a light has dawned, and that light is Jesus. Turn from your sin, believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Only through Jesus do we attain the victory over Satan, sin and death, because he's the one that got it and he's the one that gives it to us.

Speaker 1 29:41

There's no better way to celebrate Christmas than to know the one who came so that you could have life. And I can tell you right now my favorite Christmas carol you guys might know this Now my favorite Christmas carol you guys might know this Christmas Time in Hollis by Run DMC. It's not funny, it's my favorite Christmas song Don't judge me. And they say the time is now, the place is here and the whole wide world is filled with cheer. There's no better time to know Jesus. And that brings us to the final, which is real hope. And this is everything that we've got going on, isn't it?

Speaker 1 30:17

Look at verse 6 in chapter 9. 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. A few weeks ago, we began our Advent series in Isaiah in these verses, so it should seem familiar to us. Now. This is not the text that I had planned on preaching through today, but the Holy Spirit provided what I would call a spirit-led detour back to these words, because they are so rich and they're so deep. We could spend several more weeks just here. But our King, our Liberator, will not only defeat all the forces of evil, he will put a final end to the conflict itself. When we are saved, we step, as it were, onto a battlefield that is full of action, but where the battle has already been won, and that God's answer to everything that has ever terrorized us is a child, the power of God in a child. The child is far superior to any other bully in the history of the world.

Speaker 1 31:28

One of the reformers said it this way he said the only haven of safety is in the mercy of God, as manifested in Christ, in whom every part of our salvation is complete. As all mankind are, in the sight of God, lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since by His obedience he has wiped off our transgressions. By His sacrifice he's appeased the divine anger by His blood, washed away our stains, by His cross, borne our curse and by His death made satisfaction for us. Or, if I can give you the shorthand, jesus is King and Substitute. So there's a substitute that is good for us, jesus. Jesus did not come and die on the cross of Calvary to just be an example to us on how to be nice to people. Jesus came first and foremost to be a substitute in our place, on our behalf. Jesus hung on the cross of Calvary so that I don't have to. Jesus suffered the wrath of hell so that I don't have to, and Jesus then rose again so that I can too. Christ's sacrifice appeases divine anger, washes away our stains, bears our curse, makes satisfaction for our debt. Jesus is our substitute and this is why we worship King Jesus. This is why we sing, because we have a King, a substitute, a mighty God who not only lived and died and rose again for us. He lives for us today. Friends, listen to me.

Speaker 1 33:13

For 15 years I've been preaching in Baptist churches. Every now and then someone says to me you know, you always say amen, somebody. Every church I've been at, they put it on a t-shirt. Why? Because preaching in Baptist churches can be like preaching in a library Shh, shh, somebody, shh Shh. This is what most people think a First Baptist church would be like. Shh. I want you to make some noise. I want you to say amen. I want you to say glory to God, because what we read here and the God that we serve and the God that we sing about, he deserves our amen, he deserves our glory. We need to let the Spirit move us to interact. I double dog, dare you to try this? And all the good Baptists said shhh, shhh, shhh. Some of you look like you've been baptized in pickle juice. I have not. Maybe I'll be here next week. I don't know.

The Victorious Reign of Jesus

Speaker 1 34:44

The elders are figuring it out now, but sometimes it's hard. So what we've seen in the beginning of the kingdom in the Old Testament, it's like a tree, you know, the trunk growing strong and and and through faith in israel. And then, of course, jesus and the kingdom is inaugurated and his first advent, and we see it explode out in all directions and all nations and tribes and tongues are gathered in and grafted in. That's why the kingdom of god and the gospel go hand in hand, because the King is here, he has accomplished the redemption. He now sits in the throne of glory reigning over the church and the universe. Glory to God.

Speaker 1 35:24

Christmas means we have victory in Jesus Christ. So not only does our substitute die in our place, he is now our King ruling over the cosmos. And, what's more, our King will return. We're going to hear the trumpet sound and the sky is going to split open and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Why do we sing? Why do we say Amen? Why do we say Glory? Because Jesus is King now. Jesus is already victorious and he is going to return and he is going to set everything the way it should be. Glory to God.

Speaker 1 36:03

The spiritual forces of darkness have already been defeated through the cross. They're a defeated foe. They're going scorched earth on their way out, but Jesus is in control and no substitute for God will do this. No thing that we can put in the place of God will remove the gloom of separation in our lives. It will take God living, giving us a substitute, and that is Jesus, the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the one who accomplishes peace. Peace with God through the forgiveness of sins, through the paying of the penalty due for the violated covenant relationship, so that we are brought back into peace with God and with one another and on earth. Peace. That's why my hope is in Christ.

Speaker 1 36:48

My hope this Christmas is in Jesus. Let me end this way. Isaiah says he will be a wonderful Counselor, a mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of Peace. He's just drawing us a picture of the Lord and Savior, our King, to whom all glory belongs. Jesus, the child, was born to us. The child has made all things new. He grew into a man and he took our place and he died as our substitute. That is real hope, real hope in Jesus, who is the real thing.

Speaker 1 37:24

Turn from your sin and believe in Him and be baptized. Let's pray together, father. May we speak boldly and clearly and joyfully of your Son, and that you have done for sinners, in and through Him, what we cannot do for ourselves. Work in us, by your Spirit, that we might declare the mystery of Jesus Christ. Help us to continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it, with thanksgiving, and may we pray for each other that you may open to us a door for the Word to declare the mystery of Christ, that we may make it clear which is how we ought to speak. All for the glory of Jesus, say it with me, amen.