Introduction

It's that time of year that you are either excited, or maybe a bit disappointed. Some of us are excited because, well, there are sales, there's shopping, there are carols, there are presents, there's food. A lot to be excited about.

Some of us might be disinterested or disappointed because, once again we hear the same old story. Same old story about the prediction of Jesus being born. We've heard it before, thank you very much. And yet, those of you who are excited about this time of year may be able to weed through the excitement of sales, and shopping, and carols, and presents, and food, and think “This is a time for me where I really am glad to be able to think about who Jesus Christ is, what he's done for me, what he's done in this world; it’s a good thing.”

But others of us might be inwardly thinking that this whole story about Jesus, once again, is to be greeted with one big yawn. “Not this Jesus thing again.” It's like the story of the preacher who’s greeting folks after the end of the service on Christmas Eve. This one man slithers up to him and says, “You know, preacher, every time I come to hear you preach you talk about the birth of Jesus. I wish you'd find something else to talk about.” Of course, the man doesn't say that that's the only time that he comes to worship is on Christmas Eve. People in pastoral ministry sometimes call folks like that part of the C and E crowd. The Christmas, “C” and the “E,” Easter crowd. But when we hear passages that are a bit familiar, sometimes these passages, create excitement for some of us. I'm anticipating again to rehearse in my mind the truths of the faith. Still others say, “Not this again.”

How we respond to this time of year might indicate our own spiritual temperature. Because if we hear a text like we're going to hear this morning from Isaiah 9, which is a traditional text about the prediction of Jesus’ birth on that dark night in Bethlehem. Some of us may say “Tell it to me again,” where others of us might think “Oh, not that again.” When we read this text I want you to think about: How do I feel when I hear it read? How do I feel when I hear it read maybe again for the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth time? My hope is that you would be able to hear it again for the very first time.

(Read Isaiah 9:1-7)

There Is a Predictable Message: Of a Need for God

It's a predictable passage isn't it? It's a passage that we see that is common throughout the ages. The predictable part of this passage is that people need God. Anybody, everybody needs God.

Isaiah is writing in a time where people have turned their backs on God; both the North and the South in terms of all of Israel. They've turned their backs on God to worship false gods, to worship idols—idolatry. It is something that is demonstrated in that nation, at that time where they think that they could do it on their own; they don't need God. But they need a little bit of a god, a god that can, well, give them a little bit of comfort, so they worship golden calves, all kinds of little idols.

But Isaiah’s pretty serious here. He’s saying that there really is gloom. You see it in the first verse, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom.” This nation was under the cloud of great gloom because they had turned themselves away from a great God. They thought that they could do it themselves.

We think that for ourselves, too. We don't really need God; we can turn from gloom and doom on our own. But Isaiah is making it absolutely clear that it is outside of their power to be able to get out of the dark spot, get out of the deepness of their own difficulty. He’s saying, “You cannot do it.” Because these people are in distress.

Yet it is something that we share with people from the ancient world to now. We think that we can do it ourselves, we can make it on our own. We set up our own little idols of worship—of finances, of money. Worship of our own in our own ability. And what Isaiah is reminding the people of that time, and he reminds us even today, it’s not going to happen. The only kind of hope that they can have, the only kind of hope that they can enjoy is the hope given to them by God. The God whom they had turned their backs from, that God. And it’s the same God that we often turn our backs from as well. And in the darkness, we bump, we fall, we harm ourselves, and harm our relationship with God.

The people walking in what? Darkness. You know what it's like to walk in darkness, don't you? Darkness isn't an easy place in which to navigate because you need light. This prophecy tells us that there is absolute hope. The reality is that there’s a predictability here. The predictability is that we share the same kind of relationship at times with God that these ancient Israelites did. We have turned ourselves away from God. People are in need of God. That's the predictable factor here; it's the predictable factor that is woven through the entire Scriptures. You see the thread running through, don't you? That we are in desperate need of a God. Of a God who is not one who is on the same level as those whom he created. But is above all gods. It is this God that Isaiah is talking about.

There Is the Predicted and Predictable Birth of a Saving Son

In the conversation he's having here with these people, as he gives this prophecy, he is saying that there is a predictable birth of a son, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light and those living in the land of the shadow of death, a lighted has dawned. You’ve enlarged the nation and increased the joy.” The joy is anticipated; the joy of what God is going to be doing.

The ability to be able to give God praise at the end of all this is anticipated as they rejoice as people rejoice at the harvest. It’s something that we look forward to. The harvest, “As people rejoice at harvest, as men when dividing plunder. For as in the days of Midian's defeat you have shattered the yoke that burdens them.” God is the one who is going to take care of the situation.

In Isaiah’s time, Israel had come under the rule of an outside king. This king of the Assyrians had taken captive of the nation and he was using Ahaz, the wicked king, to be a sub-king to do his bidding. The promise here is that that king is going to be taken care of. And not only that, all evil will be taken care of, because there's a promise of a predicted son.

Now, some think that the son is the king Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good king. He was a king who brought along a lot of reforms; he wasn’t the ultimate king. The ultimate king is the one who’s predicted here in this passage, that is the promised Son who will take care of all the problems, all the realities of captivity the people come under. This promise is the promise of the coming of Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of God. Because the promise says that this bar is going to be taken off. “Every warrior’s boots used in battle, every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning.” There is a victory here that’s being suggested. The victory is not the victory of Hezekiah becoming king, but the promised Messiah who will be coming as the coming king.

Verse six says, “For unto us.” It's not expected. Look at verse five: “Every warrior’s boot used in battle, every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” And then it switches and it says, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given.” The expectation is that when you talk about warrior’s blood and boots, you're not expecting the birth of a child. But this is exactly the irony of this text. That the one who is promised is the one who is not the one that you would expect in the person of Hezekiah. It is the one who is ultimately going to be the King of kings and Lord and lords—the one who is going to be taking care of everything that we could ever imagine. It is this Son. This Son who's predicted is the saving Son, is the Son who, well “to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”

The Predictable Message of the Birth of Christ Shows Us that a Wonderful, Almighty, Everlasting Prince Reigns Now and Forever

There’s a lot of promise in the birth of a child, isn't there? A parent sees in his or her child the future unrolled, unveiled. The parent looks to see in their mind's eye, the way in which the child will grow, and the impact that that child will have—in those days the assumption was Hezekiah, or somebody like him. Some king who will make everything right, because Ahaz was so evil and wicked. It was much further beyond the power of an Ahaz, much further beyond the power of a promised Hezekiah, that this Son shows us that his names are titles and in his titles are his names.

Do you see that? “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders.” He is the one who ultimately will shoulder all the rule. “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This baby’s names are his titles and his titles are his names. These are names and titles given to a ruling king.

The Promised One, this child who is said to be the one who's going to come, and it is this one, this child, who is said to be the Wonderful Counselor, the one who has all wisdom, the one who has all ability to give to his people the kind of guidance and rule that they need. It is this kind of name that also says, what his title is: This King is a Wonderful Counselor, this King is Wonderful Counselor. It’s a pretty heavy name to be given to this promised baby. Not only that, you see that this baby is also going to be called “Mighty God.” It can also be translated as “heroic God.” It is the type of ability to be able to lead his people in battle. It is this one who has the might, the one who has the ability to lead in such a way, and it's given to a baby. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God. Can you imagine? But the titles continue, the names build up. His names are his titles and his titles are his names. And you see not only is he a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, but he’s Everlasting Father.

Who would even imagine that a little baby would be given the name and the title Everlasting Father? It’s incredible. That this babe that is promised in this prophecy, this predicted prophecy, would be given the title, the name, Everlasting Father. Do you notice there, there's a combination here: Everlasting Father. We look to the father, a father figure; somebody who is able to lead, and love, and give advice, care for the people. But there’s that other word that says “Everlasting Father.” You are familiar in England, when a king or queen is selected, often times when the king or queen comes into the presence of people, there are shouts that are made by the crowd. The shouts are “Long live the king! Long live the queen!” Why? Because there's this sense of the desire of the people that the person who rules, that the rule would go on forever because they are submitted to, and subjected to the rule and reign of this king. That is suggests here that the desire is on God's part, he is Everlasting Father. But not only that, he is the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This king, this ruler, not only is the one who dispenses peace, but the one who sustains and maintains peace. This ruler is the one who is over all, and the thrust, the theme of his rule is peace.

You see these names are called throne names. The Egyptians, when a king would ascend to the throne, they would give the king a throne name. Tutankhamun. These are throne names. You also see it in the appointment of a pope. When a pope is selected to become pope, the pope chooses a name; that's his throne name. These names don't come from people, these names come from God.

In this prophecy, this little babe, this one who is promised is “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” Only God could promise that. Only God who from above named this young one, is able to promise and deliver on his promise.

“And he will reign,” it says, “on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” And do you notice that this babe falls in line with the heredity of the king who was beloved, David? It is this Jesus, who in the beginning of the Book of Matthew, who has his genealogy described, and he is found to be a descendant of David.

There is one more thing we don't want to miss. That last couplet that’s part of verse seven says: “the Zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” That's the guarantee. It's as if the guarantee was written across this prophecy. It says this is what is going to happen. Yes, it took seven hundred years from Isaiah's prophecy to see it fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ, in Bethlehem’s manger. But God still delivered on his promise, allowing the nation to go to the place of absolute desperateness so that it would embrace the Savior.

What this text underscores for us is the predictable message of the birth of Christ, shows that a Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting Prince reigns now and forever. There's this predictability factor, yes. Men and women are in need of God. But the predicted Son comes and he takes care of our need. He goes to the cross and takes upon himself our sin. And we realize that in this Son his names are his titles and his titles are his names.

Conclusion

I don't know how you feel, what your response was to the reading of this text in Isaiah 9. It could be one where you said “Yes, once again I'm reminded of what God has done in Christ; once again when I hear the beauty of these words that are so poetic, my soul is fed and I'm encouraged because God shows that he is God. It might be though, that “the predictability of the passage itself, is not all that appealing as I’ve heard it all before.”

But the reality is that the predictable message of the birth of Christ shows us that a Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting Prince reigns now and forever.

There are no excuses, I’m not apologizing for the reality of speaking again in a sermon about the coming of Jesus. The church has done it throughout the ages. It is the absolute promise; it is the gospel. What is the gospel? We hear that, “Well, it’s the gospel of John.” It means good news. What is good news? The good news is that Jesus took upon himself our sin, went to the cross, died for our sin so that we might have a relationship with God. He did it for the ancient Israelites in the doom and gloom in which they found themselves. They had turned away from God, but through Jesus Christ he enables them to turn to God. And through Jesus we, as Gentiles are able to come to him and to recognize that the predictable message of the birth of Christ shows us that a Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting Prince, reigns now and forever. That’s exciting; that is thrilling, that's what Christmas is about.

This birth message never gets old. Jesus Christ has come to save sinners. And in the babe in this manger he took care of us by going to the cross. That is beautiful, not boring. The predictable message of the birth of Christ shows us that a Wonderful, Almighty, Everlasting Prince reigns now and forever.

Scott M. Gibson is the Professor of Preaching and holder of the David E. Garland Chair of Preaching at Baylor University/Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas. He also served as the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching and Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, where he was on faculty for twenty-seven years.