Unto Us A Child Is Born

1/29/23

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Sermon Transcript

Good morning. Please open your Bibles to the book of Isaiah. Start in chapter 1. From the beginning to the end of the book of Isaiah, we see Jesus. Over and over again, Isaiah lifts the prophetic curtain to show the people about their coming Messiah and about his kingdom. Of this there can be no doubt. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus goes to the synagogue and is handed a copy of the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus opens that scroll, reads from Isaiah 61, and says, “Today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Can be no doubt that Isaiah is telling us about Jesus.

I want us to look this morning at two wonderful prophecies about Christ from the pages of Isaiah, one in Isaiah 7 and one in Isaiah 9. But to really appreciate and understand these prophecies, we need to get a running start. We need to look at the context in which they were first revealed. And in the very first verse of the very first chapter of Isaiah, we meet four kings of Judah, Isaiah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Now the first of those four kings, Isaiah, he dies in chapter 6 and Isaiah ignores his son Jotham, but Isaiah does not ignore that third king, Jotham’s son Ahaz. We meet the evil king Ahaz in the very first verse of Isaiah chapter 7. Well who was Ahaz?

Well of the four kings in that first verse of Isaiah, second Kings tells us that three of them did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That was not true of Ahaz. Unlike his grandfather Uzziah, unlike his father Jotham, unlike his son Hezekiah, King Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. In fact, 2 Chronicles 28 tells us that Ahaz made metal images for Baal and he even burned his sons as an offering to the false gods of the surrounding nations. In fact, 2 Chronicles 28 tells us how Ahaz was humiliated by Razan, the king of Syria, and by Pekah, the king of Israel, the northern tribes. It tells us how they killed many men of Judah and carried many away as captives until a prophet, Oded, he does not have a book named after him, convinced Syria and Israel to release those captives. That all happened in 2 Chronicles 28. In 2 Kings 16, we again find King Ahaz, and again he’s threatened by Razan of Syria, Pekah of Israel. And King Ahaz is understandably nervous. What should he do? To whom can he turn for help? King Ahaz needed to find someone strong enough to help him. In his fight against Syria and in his fight against Israel, where could he look?

Well, in the days of King Ahaz, the greatest earthly power was Assyria. And the king of Assyria at that time was Tiglath-Pilaser. And so in 2 Kings 16:7, Ahaz sends a message to the great Tiglath-Pilaser saying, I am your servant and your son. Come and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel who are attacking me. Ahaz didn’t turn to God for help. Ahaz turned to Assyria for help. And the next verse tells us, Ahaz also took silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. And you know, before I chuckle at the absurdity of someone turning to Tiglath-Pelasser instead of turning to God for help, maybe I should stop and ask myself whether I have my own Tiglath-Pelasser. Do I go to God first or not? Do I think of God first or not? Do I trust in God first or not? You know, maybe Tiglath-Pilaser hadn’t gone anywhere. In any event, the Assyrian king listens to the pleas for help from poor King Ahaz, and Tiglath-Pilaser marches into Damascus and kills Rezan, king of Israel, as recorded in 2 Kings 16:9. King Ahaz then goes to Damascus himself to meet with his rescuer, the Assyrian king. And you know what? King Ahaz liked what he saw there. 2 Kings 16 tells us that Ahaz liked the Assyrian altar so much he made a model of it, a pattern exact in all its details, and sent it back so it could replace the altar in Solomon’s temple. So how did that great rescue by Assyria work out for Ahaz and for the people of Judah?

Well, the Bible answers that question. 2 Chronicles 28:19: “For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel. For he made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. So Tiglath-Pilaser, king of Assyria, came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king of the princes and gave tribute to Assyria, but it did not help him.” It did not work out for King Ahaz at all.

All of that is the context behind the great prophecies of Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 9. In chapter 7 opens, Ahaz is scared to death by threats from the king of Syria and the king of Israel. In fact, Isaiah 7:6 tells us that those kings wanted to replace Ahaz with another king, one not from the house of David. Something that would have ended the reign of David, the house of David over Judah. And so after all of that, what is Isaiah’s message to King Ahaz? You see that in Isaiah 7:4. The prophet says, “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear. Do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands.” He’s talking about raisins, talking about the king of Syria and the king of Israel. Yes, King Ahaz was evil, but God had plans for the house of David and God was not gonna let some king outside the house of David come in and reign over Judah. And so God refers to these enemies, Syria and Israel, as two smoldering stumps. They were not going to succeed. God would not let them succeed. Isaiah told Ahaz that, while Ahaz was in his palace, shivering with fear.

And here’s where Ahaz had a big decision to make. Should he trust in God, or should he trust in Assyria? Should he look to the unseen, or should he scene. We already know what happened. We read about it. Ahaz chose Assyria over God, but Isaiah chapter 7 gives us the details of how Ahaz rejected Almighty God and turned to Assyria instead. In Isaiah 7:11, God commands Ahaz to ask for a sign so that God can show him the real power behind the here and to help Ahaz make that decision on where to go for help. And God puts no limits on what sign Ahaz could ask God to do. Look at it there in verse 11, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God, let it be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.” Ahaz could have asked for any sign. And when I say any sign, I mean any sign. Later in 2 Kings 20, his son Hezekiah asked for a sign. God causes the shadow of the sun to go back ten steps. You know, if you ever want to undertake an interesting study, look and see if there’s any evidence from elsewhere around the globe of an astronomical event like that during the days of King Hezekiah. You’ll it. That is the kind of sign that Ahaz could have asked for. But what did Ahaz do? What great sign did he ask God to perform? We see the King’s answer in Isaiah 7:12, “I will not ask, I will not put the Lord to the test.” God wanted to give Ahaz a sign. In fact, God commanded Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz did not want any sign from God. Why? Because Ahaz had already made up his mind where he was gonna go for help and it was not to God. Ahaz had already decided to go to Assyria and nothing God could do or say would change Ahaz’s mind. And incredibly, Ahaz justifies himself by quoting the Bible back to God. In fact, Ahaz quotes the same verse, Deuteronomy 6:16, that Jesus would later quote to Satan in Matthew chapter 4. You know, just when we thought Ahaz couldn’t get any worse, he manages to surprise us, doesn’t he?

How does God respond? How does God respond? Ahaz did not want a sign from God, but God gives him a sign anyway. And God does more than that. The Hebrew grammar there tells us that this sign was not just for Ahaz, but was for the entire house of David. God gave them all a sign. And if we think that moving the sun back in the sky ten degrees was the greatest sign ever given to a king of Judah, We are badly mistaken. The sign that God gives Ahaz is infinitely greater. What great sign did God give King Ahaz? We find it right there in Isaiah 7:14, which is the first of the two great prophecies we’re going to look at today. Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son shall call his name Emmanuel.” The great sign of Isaiah 7 was the virgin birth of Christ, an event that was yet 600 years away from the events in this chapter. In Isaiah 7:14, the virgin is Mary, her son is Jesus. How do we know that for sure? Because Matthew confirms it. In fact, this prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 is quoted in Matthew 1:23, making this prophecy from Isaiah 7 the very first Old Testament prophecy ever recorded in the New Testament. And if we move up a bit on the page in Matthew 1 back to verse 9, who do we find looking back at us? We find old King Ahaz right there in the genealogy of Christ. As evil as that King was, God was using him to bring a blessing to the entire world and that great blessing was the sign that God gave to rebellious Ahaz in Isaiah 7:14 and to the entire house of David. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, shall call his name Emmanuel.” As a sign of his infinite power, God pointed to a baby, to a son who would be conceived as no one had ever been conceived or ever would again be conceived. God pointed Ahaz to God’s gift of his only begotten son. Rather than moving the sun in the sky, as God did for Hezekiah, God pointed Ahaz to the gift of his son, his only begotten son.

What can we say about this great sign of Isaiah 7:14? What is its meaning? What is the significance of the virgin birth of Christ? You know, there’s been a great deal of debate about the virgin birth of Christ. Some reject it outright. Others downplay its significance. I think some view it as disconnected from the other things we know about Christ. Each of those views is as wrong as wrong can be the virgin birth of Christ is central to the deity of Christ central Isaiah 7:14 says his name would be called Emmanuel what does that mean Matthew 1:23 answers that question it means God with us God with us. Jesus is God with us, not God looking down at us, not God thinking about us, not God making plans for us. God with us. What does that mean? God with us means what Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father God with us.” And God with us means what John told us earlier in that same book in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. That Word became flesh - John 1:14 - and dwelt among us. And God with us means what Matthew told us. Matthew 1:18: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way, when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together. She was found to be with child the Holy Spirit.” That’s what it means God with us we know that Jesus was both man and God not half man and half God not man some of the time and God some of the time Jesus was both man and God 100% man 100% God how can such be explained the answer is the virgin birth of Christ the answer is that Mary was found to be with child from the Holy Ghost the virgin birth explains how Jesus is the only begotten Son of God virgin birth the virgin birth explains Mary’s song of praise in Luke chapter 1 and Mary knew better than anyone that Jesus was the Son of God. The virgin birth is central to the deity of Christ. They are one in the same doctrine. And I think the same can be said about the sinlessness of Christ, about the perfect sacrifice of Christ, about the kingship of Christ, about the priesthood of Christ. How apart from the virgin birth of Christ can we ever, ever explain Christ’s statement in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am.” How apart from the virgin birth of Christ can we ever explain Colossians 1:15-16? “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him, all things were created in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him.” How apart from the virgin birth of Christ Can we ever explain 1 Timothy 2:5? “For there is one God, there is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ.” The scriptures could not be any more clear on this point. Jesus was born of a virgin. It was prophesied in Isaiah 7, it happened in Matthew 1. The attributes of Christ absolutely and fundamentally demand it and require it. It happened. You know, we can think of the virgin birth of Christ as a traffic sign at the beginning of the New Testament. One arrow points left, another arrow points right. And God puts that sign in front of us as soon as we open the New Testament, in the very first chapter. Even before Jesus is born, we are faced with a choice. Do we believe God or not? Do we believe the word of God or not? Do we trust in God or do we scoff at God? Before anyone reaches Matthew chapter two. That person has already chosen a direction of travel from Matthew chapter one. If we reject the virgin birth of Christ and we reject the deity of Christ, and of course we reject the Word of Christ by which we will all be judged. John 12:48.

Well what happened next with King Ahaz? We’ve already seen the answer to that. Assyria destroyed the enemies of Ahaz like Ahaz wanted him to do, but in response Judah became a vassal of Assyria. And after meeting with king of Syria and Damascus the land of Judah was soon filled with those false idols and idolatrous shrines all sanctioned by King Ahaz himself by not turning to God for help Ahaz had brought calamity down upon himself and upon his people we see all that described in the next chapter of Isaiah Isaiah chapter 8 so was all hope lost? Had God finally had enough? No. God’s word to Ahaz doesn’t stop in Isaiah chapter 8. It continues right on into Isaiah chapter 9. Yes, Ahaz had rejected God’s help by turning to Assyria. But God was still going to help His people. How? How would God help His rebellious people? And we find the answer in the second of the two great prophecies we’re looking at this morning. Isaiah chapter nine, starting in verse six. Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us, a child is born unto us, a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace, of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with justice, with judgment from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of host will perform this.”

Isaiah saw a new king in Judah’s future, and it was a very different king from evil King Ahaz. The King to come would be different and not just from every King of Judah. The King to come would be different from every King who had ever ruled, who ever would rule. The King to come would reign with justice and righteousness. He would restore joy and he would restore hope to God’s people. God would help his people by sending them what they needed the most. A new King, a different King. How different would this King be? will look at the descriptions there in verse 6. His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Let’s look at each of those. His name shall be called wonder. Wonder. You know many translations have the word wonderful there in verse 6, but the Hebrew word is not an adjective. The literal meaning is that His name would be called Wonder. Wonder. Is there a better title for Christ than that? Wonder. Is there anything about Jesus that is not a wonder? The wonder of His birth? The wonder of His divinity? The wonder of His humanity? The wonder of His sinless life? The wonder of His Word? Wonder of his love the wonder of his compassion the wonder of his miracles the wonder of his sacrifice the wonder of his resurrection the wonder of his ascension the wonder of his kingdom the wonder of his return his name shall be called wonder and his name shall be called counselor to be a good counselor you have to have wisdom and you have to have understanding. Well, Jesus has perfect wisdom. Jesus has perfect understanding. That means Jesus is the perfect counselor. That’s how Isaiah describes the Messiah, just a few chapters later, Isaiah 11:2: “and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord.” When Jesus gives us counsel in his word. We know that whatever he tells us is absolutely true, absolutely trustworthy. We will never find a better counselor than that. Jesus is the perfect counselor. His name shall be called counselor.

His name shall be called Mighty God. The promised Messiah is God, Mighty God. We saw that with the name Emmanuel, God with us in Isaiah 7 and in the virgin birth. And we see that again here in Isaiah 9. We see it elsewhere in the Old Testament. Psalm 45:6: “your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of righteousness.” And of course, the New Testament tells us the same thing. And John 1:1: “the word was God.” dwelt among us. The Hebrew word used here in Isaiah 9:6 describes divinity in the absolute sense. It is never used hyperbolically or metaphorically. Jesus is the mighty God. And again, there is no way to explain that. There is no way to understand that apart from the virgin birth of Christ. There is no way that a man with a human mother and a human father could be God. Jesus is God Almighty because that which was conceived in Mary was from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:20. The deity of Christ in Isaiah 9:6 and the virgin birth of Christ in Isaiah 7:14 are two sides of the same coin they cannot be separated his name shall be called mighty God and his name shall be called everlasting Father you know we might stumble over that one at first how can God the Son be called the everlasting Father what sense was the Messiah, a father. Well, we know from Isaiah 53:8 that Jesus had no physical children. But two verses later in Isaiah 53:10, we’re told that Jesus would have spiritual children. “When his soul makes an offering for guilt, ye shall see his offspring.” Who are those spiritual children of Christ? We are. Church of Christ is the offspring of Christ. In Isaiah 53:10, "And as a father loves his children, as a father would do anything for his children, Jesus loved us so much he gave his life for us. His name shall be called Everlasting Father and his name shall be called Prince of Peace. What a wonderful promise to those in Isaiah’s day who were threatened by war from every side. But it’s a wonderful promise to all of us who daily experience the restless turmoil of this world of sin. Our King is the Prince of Peace. You know, Isaiah had earlier prophesied about the peace that would exist in the Kingdom of God. Isaiah prophesied about that in Isaiah 2. And in Ephesians 2, Paul confirmed that that promised peace is fulfilled in the Kingdom of Christ. Jew and Gentile became one body church. Jesus brought peace to mankind in his eternal kingdom. But this promise of peace is not just a promise of peace between men, this is also a promise of peace with God. And as before, this promise of peace is inseparable from the divinity of Christ, inseparable from the virgin birth of Christ. Listen as Paul explains it in Colossians 1:19-20: “For it pleased the Father that in him and Christ should all fullness dwell and having made peace through blood of his cross by him to reconcile unto himself By him I say whether they be things in heaven or things on earth only one born of a virgin Could bridge that gap Jesus as both God and man could bridge the gap between God and man No one else could have done that No one His name shall be called Prince of Peace.”

Unto us Child is born. Perhaps the most amazing description of all is that one the first one we see in verse 6 this wonder this counselor This mighty God this eternal father this prince of peace Would enter this world as a child Unto us child is born This child in Isaiah 9:6 is the same child who was the promised sign in Isaiah 7:14 this child is Christ This event we’re reading about here in prophecy is the incarnation Christ Philippians 2:5-8 tells us about it: “having this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus was born in the likeness of man. Jesus was found in human form. When God came to be with us, God came as one of us. He came as a baby born of woman. Galatians 4:4. Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day were looking for a Messiah who would arrive with great pomp and fanfare, leading the armies of heaven to conquer mighty Rome. And yes, Jesus did conquer mighty Rome. In fact, the promised kingdom of Christ will break and consume all kingdoms of this earth. But Jesus did not descend from heaven on horseback with a shout, bearing a sword, and leading a great army. Instead, Jesus entered this world as a baby, born to a loving mother who wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the end. Luke 2:7. Unto us, a child was born. When Isaiah was allowed to glimpse the promised deliverer of his people, He found a newborn baby looking back at him. God would deliver his people and conquer evil by being found in fashion as a man, by humbling himself and becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. And this great deliverer was a gift, a gift of God. Isaiah has already told us that twice. Isaiah 7:14: “therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign.” Isaiah 9:6: “for unto us a child is born unto us. A son is given.” The promised gift of the Old Testament is the gift of God in the new. John 3:16: “God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son.” 2 Corinthians 9:15: “thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given. Hallelujah what a Savior. We sing it: Man of sorrows what a name for the Son of God who came ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah what a Savior. Bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned he stood sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Guilty, vile, and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah. What a Savior. Lifted up was He to die. It is finished was His cry. Now in heaven, exalted high. Hallelujah. What a Savior. When He comes, our glorious King, all His ransom ones to bring, then anew His song we’ll sing. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Is He your Savior? Have you obeyed His gospel? Are you in Christ? Have you put on Christ? If not, you may be wondering what you need to do. Well, let’s listen as God answers that question. You’ll find a lot of answers to that question from men. Why don’t we let God answer that question? Galatians 3:27: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Romans 6:3: “Know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Could that be any more clear? If you’ve not been baptized in the Christ, then you are not in Christ. If you have not obeyed the gospel of Christ, then you are still lost in your sins and this wonderful is not your Savior yet. There is no reason why that must be so for anyone here today. If you’re thinking, “I’m just going to wait for a better time to obey my King,” then you should come now, because there will never be a better time than right now. You’re outside of Christ. In fact, you’re not guaranteed there will be another time. “Arise, shine, for thy light has come,” says the Prophet. If we can help in any way this morning, please come while we stand, while we sing.