In Pastor Grant Brown's sermon, 'Christmas Lights (Part 1)', the prophet Isaiah's message from chapters 8 and 9 is explored. The sermon begins with the backdrop of darkness and distress prophesied in Isaiah 8, where the northern tribes of Israel, Zebulun and Naphtali, suffer under Assyrian captivity. This physical darkness parallels the spiritual bondage of sin and iniquity that afflicted the world. Pastor Brown explains that the prophecy extends beyond Israel to a world in darkness, bound by sin and Satan. Isaiah 9 introduces hope with the promise of a great light, symbolizing the coming of Jesus Christ, the 'light of the world', who will shatter this darkness. The sermon emphasizes that Christmas is the fulfillment of God's ancient promises and covenants, as foretold by Isaiah and other Old Testament prophecies. Jesus' birth heralds the triumph over spiritual darkness, marking the beginning of a new covenant of grace. Through Christ, the nations, once in darkness, are called to be blessed and redeemed. The sermon highlights the continuity of God's promises from Genesis through the Old Testament, culminating in Jesus' incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, which brings salvation and joy to the world.

We begin our time of Advent in this wonderful book of Isaiah and our passage this morning from Isaiah chapter 9, it comes on the heels of Isaiah chapter 8, where Isaiah in chapter 8 prophesied of darkness. That's the backdrop of this entire chapter in Isaiah chapter 9 the darkness of Isaiah chapter 8. Now we didn't read it, so let me briefly tell you about Isaiah chapter 8. Things were dark. Assyria had been invading the northern kingdom of Israel and the northernmost tribes particularly Zebulun and Naftali were falling into captivity again particularly affected by the Assyrian invasion were these northern tribes Zebulun and Naftali and they were being overpowered.

Things were dark, things were not looking good. Chapter 8 says, and they're going to get darker still. Chapter 8 ends with this verse, Then they, the people under the judgment of God, Israel, they will look to the earth, and behold distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be driven away into darkness. Assyria will enslave them. They will be captives, they will be in darkness.

That's where the people are left at the end of Isaiah chapter 8. Gloom, distress, anguish, darkness. Friends, all the more, not just for Israel, there, that was the state of the world in the days leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ, hundreds of years after this prophecy from Isaiah was written. Darkness. Not just for Israel and Isaiah 9, but for the world, great darkness.

First for Israel it was the Assyrian captivity and after the Assyrian captivity, Babylonian captivity, and then Roman captivity as we enter into the New Testament. But far worse than all of that captivity, far worse than Assyrian captivity, far worse than Babylonian and Roman captivity, far worse than any political conflict, far worse than any of that, is a world and a people captive to Satan. Far worse than any of that is a world in bondage to Satan a People in bondage to iniquity. How do they get to the place of darkness in Romans chapter 8? How do they get to be?

Captives to Assyria because they're captive to sin. Iniquity, sin, bondage that is spiritual, far greater realities than even what is at first glance apparent here in Isaiah 8 and now into Isaiah 9. Sure things are bad for Israel, but the earth itself is so dark that paganism, Syria, Babylon, paganism has spread across the globe. That's darkness. I think sometimes we read the prophets and we just think that this one particular people group, that's great, but we kind of leave out the rest of the world.

Well, what's the rest of the world like? The people of God who have the revelation of God are going into darkness. What of the rest of the world? Darkness. So far worse than physical bondage, far worse than physical death, that's certainly in view here, but in a far greater sense Isaiah in these prophecies is getting at spiritual bondage spiritual death spiritual enslavement which results in death physical hearts and minds here at enmity with God a whole world plunged into darkness and Again as much as this passage is about Israel and the tyranny of Assyria, because Isaiah is ultimately talking about something far worse, sin, slavery to sin, bondage to Satan, how much more so than does this passage apply directly to you in your distress in your gloom in your anguish in your darkness it applies all the more for the plies the devil definitely applies to you that's it And yet God does not leave you.

He does not leave his people. God does not leave you in the darkness. For in the midst of the darkness of Isaiah's day, Isaiah begins on the heels of darkness, Isaiah 9 verses 1 and 2, but there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times, he treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on, he shall make it glorious by the way of the sea on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. Verse two, the people who walk in darkness will see a great light.

Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. What's Isaiah saying there? In the midst of the darkness, a great light will come. A day is coming when that gloom will be swallowed up in gladness. That's what Isaiah said.

A day is coming when that anguish shall be no more. A day is coming when the darkness will not just sort of lift, no, nay, the darkness will be shattered. A day is coming when the judgment of God, the contempt of God, will be exchanged for something glorious. That's what Isaiah said. I'm using Isaiah's words.

What is that day? What is this glorious day that Isaiah declares, where those who live in the darkness will have the light shine upon them? What is this glorious day when those who are captives to sin will be set free? What is this glorious day when a world bathed in satanic darkness is bathed and baptized in satan-defeating light? What is this day?

Christmas. Christmas. Christmas is the day when light bursts onto the darkness of a world shut up in the blackness of sin. Christmas is the day when light cut through the gloom and cut through the anguish of the earth, an earth which is in bondage to iniquity. Christmas is the day, the promised day, when the one named the light of the world took on human flesh and was born of a virgin.

Verses one and two remind you of the darkness, sin, its condemnation, iniquity, and its consequences, law-breaking, and your terrible guilt as a sinner. But in the midst of that darkness, verses 1 and 2, shout out to you like an almighty carol. The promise of light. Gloom will give way to gladness. Anguish will give way to joy.

Why? Because God turned on the Christmas lights and that light is the light of the world Jesus Christ. The promise of Christmas that's verses 1 & 2 promise of Christmas And really the promise of Christmas is really verses 1 through 7. And really the promise of Christmas is all, pretty much all of Isaiah 9. And really the promise of Christmas is all pretty much all of Isaiah 9 and really the promise of Christmas Is all of the book of Isaiah and really?

Promise of Christmas is all of the Old Testament The promise of Christmas We didn't read it, but two chapters before. In Isaiah 7 verse 14, if you want to look there with me, do you remember Isaiah 7, 14? God's prophecy through prophet Isaiah. I'll read it for you. Isaiah 714, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son and she will call his name Emmanuel." You remember that?

The word Emmanuel, God with us. That's quite the promise. That's quite the prophecy. I don't know if you've ever thought about this. I mean, those are bold and brilliant Christmas lights that God is stringing up.

In Isaiah 7, now in Isaiah 9, throughout from Genesis all the way to here. These are bold and brilliant lights that God's stringing up, are they not? I mean, just think about it. A virgin and a virgin is going to be with child? What?

And then this child, the son, will be miraculously placed in her womb and that child will be God. God with us. God will take on flesh. And then Isaiah chapter 8 right after Isaiah 7 Isaiah chapter 8 darkness is going to be very very great the gloom will be very very great and Isaiah doesn't say it the canon of scripture says it that by the end of the Old Testament the darkness and the gloom and the anguish in the world will be so great. For 400 years God will not speak through his prophets.

That's how dark things will be. For 400 years plus, you're wondering, would God really keep all those promises? Would God really turn on the Christmas lights of promise upon a people, upon a world in darkness. I mean, come on, a virgin birth. God with us.

He hasn't spoken for 400 years. There has been no word from the living God for all these years. No word. In John chapter one, verse 14, the word becomes flesh and dwells among us. The Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word entered a virgin's womb, took on flesh, and became the promised seed.

His name was Jesus. What did God do? He turned on the Christmas lights of promise. Throughout the Old Testament, God strung up lights of promise for 4, 000 years, covenant after covenant after covenant, revealing how God, how he would redeem a world in darkness. So for 4, 000 years God has been stringing up Christmas lights of promise And then he turned them on in the incarnation.

God kept his promises. God fulfilled his prophecies. God kept his covenant. You need to understand, church, You really need to understand that these promises, and these prophecies here in Isaiah that we're looking at this morning, they are not standalone prophecies. No, no, no, these prophecies of Isaiah, They are predicated and they are built upon all of the prophecies that came before, all of the promises that came before, all of the covenants that came before.

I just want you to think on it for just a moment. Our first parents, our federal head Adam you remember him Genesis 1 2 & 3 he listened to the serpent and he plunged all of humanity and all of the world into darkness and into death and in the condemnation he plunged all of this the world into darkness that's Genesis chapter 3. That's the covenant of life that Isaac just rehashed for us. And as a result, what happens to all the people of the world through one man's disobedience? Because of the sin of Adam, because of Adam's covenant breaking, what happens?

What happens to all the peoples of the world? They belong to the darkness. All the nations of the world are in darkness. All of the peoples of the world, they come from, they descend from that federal head Adam, and so in Adam they all die. In Adam they're all in bondage to sin.

Because of Adam, in Adam, all of the peoples of the earth, all the nations are plunged into darkness. All the nations of the earth are pagan. All the nations of the earth are pagan. All the nations of the earth are full of iniquity. All of the families of the earth are in the clutches of Satan.

Why? Because of the sin of Adam. But what does what does God do? God makes a promise. God makes the promise of a new covenant, the covenant of grace.

In the midst of the darkness that now covers the earth because of the sin of Adam, God pierces that darkness with the promise of Christmas in Genesis chapter 3. A seed will come from the woman and that seed will crush the serpent's head. I want you to get this. I just think this is really important. All the peoples of the earth are in darkness.

Can't disagree with that because Adam plunged all the world into sin. All the peoples in the world are darkness. All the peoples deceived and in bondage to the dragon Satan That's what happens in Adam But a seed will come a second Adam will come and he that see he will crush that dragon That seed will crush the dragon who has deceived the world and Then we get to Abraham God's covenant with Abraham And what does God promise Abraham? That seed, that same seed, that same covenant of grace seed will come from you Abraham. What will we do?

Genesis 12, Genesis 18, Genesis 22. All the nations, All the families of the earth, all the peoples who walk in darkness, all the world plunged into darkness, they will all be what? Blessed. Blessed by that seed. Which seed?

The seed that was promised to Adam. Oh, you mean the seed that was promised to Adam to plunge the whole world into darkness? That seed's going to do something for the whole world? Yes. Yes, he will.

That's the Abrahamic covenant. That's the promise made to Abraham. That seed promised in Genesis 3. That seed will come through you Abraham and he will bless all the earth. An earth that is covered in darkness.

A seed will come and He'll change all of that forever. Who does Galatians 3.16 tell us the seed is? The seed is Jesus Christ. Galatians 3.16. That's just one of many places.

The seed is Jesus the Christ. God promised Adam a seed, God promised Abraham the same seed to bless all the peoples of the earth. And so what does Isaiah do? You've got that in the Old Testament. What does Isaiah do?

He keeps turning on and stringing up the same lights of promise. He keeps stringing up from the same long lines of covenant that God's been stringing up throughout the Old Testament. He keeps stringing up the same lights of covenant, the same Christmas lights. People who walk in darkness will see a great light. Notice in Isaiah chapter 9 Where will that light come from?

Where does that light come from? Look at the text. Isaiah chapter 9, end of verse 1. Where will the light come from? By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, where?

Galilee of the Gentiles. That seed would come out of Galilee. And that seed would very much be for all the peoples, the Gentiles. Galilee of the Gentiles. Who came out of Galilee?

Mark chapter 1 verse 9 and I quote directly, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee. Jesus came out of Galilee for who? How far does this seed's triumphant light extend? Isaiah said the light's going to come out of Galilee. Jesus comes out of Galilee, next question, how far will that light go?

Matthew chapter 28, all the nations, All the peoples. To the ends of the earth. To all the Gentiles. The seed who comes from a virgin's womb. The seed who comes from Abraham.

The seed promised to Adam. The seed who comes out of Galilee, that seed declares at the end of the gospel of Matthew, he begins in Galilee and he ends with this, go into all the world. Go into all the what? World. I mean I just thought that ought to get an amen.

I'm just kidding. It's amazing. So it's not a coincidence that Jesus comes from a place called Galilee that was full of Gentiles. It's not a coincidence. The promised seed would come from a place saturated with Gentiles, Galilee of the Gentiles.

The promised seed would come to bless all the families of the earth. That was promised to Abraham and on Christmas and Easter Jesus came and Jesus did just that. God strung up the lights of promise in Genesis all the way through Malachi with Isaiah here in the middle and he turned them all on at Christmas. Veiled in flesh the Godhead's seed. Hail the incarnate deity.

Pleased with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. The light of the world on Christmas entered into a world covered in darkness. But again, to what extent? I've already mentioned Matthew 28, to what extent? How bright will this light that defeats all darkness, how bright will it burn?

How far will the good news of Emmanuel carry? He's coming to this dark world. How far does that light go? I've already given you part of an answer. That's verses 3 through 5.

How far will the light extend? As far as the curse is found. As far as the curse is found. As far as the curse is found, as far as the darkness covered the earth in Adam. Now I just want you to get this.

When the first Adam sinned, How much of the world got covered in darkness? All. When the second Adam came out of Galilee, lived a perfect life, died in the place of sinners on the cross, cries out, it is finished, and then is raised up from the grave. The second Adam, when he does that, how much of the earth now will be covered with his glory instead of the darkness of the first Adam. If you can't say all, you don't believe Jesus is God.

If you want to give so much credit to a man named Adam, you best be giving credit to the God-man Jesus. If he and his disobedience results in a world plunged into death and destruction and darkness, this one man's righteousness, and he's not just man, he's God. How much more than all the world will be covered in his glory. I want to say this clearly. How far does the light of the world's gospel, how far does his kingdom extend As far as the curse is found, as far as the darkness covered the earth and Adam, now the glory of Jesus Christ will cover the earth in its stead.

As far as the waters cover the sea. Verses three through five we see the triumph of Christmas. So remember Isaiah is talking to a nation that is in darkness. They've rejected God, they're under the judgment of God, but God promises to break through. God promises to turn on the great string of lights has been hanging up for over four hundred four thousand years the great Christmas lights of covenant and the question is when God turns on those Christmas lights when Emmanuel comes down and fulfills all the prophecies that have been laid down for 4, 000 years.

When Immanuel comes, what will happen? Verse 3. You, God, Immanuel, you shall multiply the nation. You shall increase their gladness. They will be glad in your presence as with the gladness of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

What will happen? What will happen? Verse 3. Well, the nation will be multiplied. That's what it says in the text.

The nation will be multiplied. Also remember verse 1. What they were before, what Zebulun and Naphtali, what Israel were before, they will not only be restored to what they were before, but their state will be all the more glorious. The Israel of the Lord will not just be restored to what they used to be, it will be all the more glorious. All of the glory that was in the old covenant will be but a candle to the Son of the glory that comes in the new covenant.

Because in the new covenant, Emmanuel comes. In the new covenant, the Christ comes. God with us comes. And Emmanuel comes to make all things new. That's glorious.

And we're going to be reading about that newness in just a moment. That's verse 3, the multiplication, the multiplication of the nation. And it says, not just a multiplication of the nation, but an increase of gladness. Do you see that there? An increase of gladness.

Now friends, church, that's you. We are here this morning because of Christmas. I just wonder if you realize that. The only reason you're in this room right now, the only reason you have this book in your hands, the only reason that you believe, it's because of Christmas. That's it.

We are here this morning because of Christmas, because of God turning on the Christmas lights of promise, the Christmas lights of covenant, two thousand years ago. And we are part of the multiplication promise to the nation as his church. I'm not making this up. I'm really not making this up. If you think, are we really?

All right, I want you to think on this. What did Satan offer Jesus when Jesus came? Emmanuel was born, a virgin. First time he really enters the scene, one of the first things that happens. What does Satan do to Jesus?

Tempts him. Tempts him. Satan takes Jesus up on a mountain and he tempts him. And what did Satan tempt Jesus with? Do you remember?

What was the last thing that Satan showed Jesus takes Jesus and he shows Jesus the nations of the world the kingdoms of the world of all the earth a world belonging to Satan Satan makes an offer right What offer does Satan make to the Lord Jesus? Hey, hey Jesus, you see all these? They're mine. I'll give them to you. I'll give them to you.

All these kingdoms of the world, they'll be yours. I'll give them to you. All you gotta do is just bow down and worship me. That's it. I'll give you the kingdoms.

Satan says to Jesus, these people who walk in darkness, this world covered in the darkness of iniquity Satan says in essence hey that's mine it's mine and I'll give you what is mine if you but worship me what's Jesus's answer a big fat no no no Satan you shall worship God alone no Satan I will not barter for the nations. No Satan, I will not take your offer, I will not take your offer and worship you in exchange for the world. Know instead, I will go, and I will win this world myself. I will bind you, the stronger man, or I will bind you the strong man, and I will triumph over you, And I will redeem what was lost in Adam. And I'm gonna go ahead and once I bind you, I'm gonna plunder your house.

I'm gonna do it all myself. I'm gonna do it all because I'm God. Satan, I will live a perfect life of obedience, Satan. I will live the life that Adam should have lived, so that anybody who believes upon me, anybody who repents of their sins and puts their faith in me, they will be given my righteousness. They will be credited to their account my obedience, And it will be all of grace.

And I will be their new federal head. I will be their new Adam. In Adam they die, but in me they'll live. And instead of them dying for their sin, I will die for them. I will die in their place at the cross so that all the judgment and all the condemnation and all the shame and all the guilt that my people deserve would be punished in me.

That's what Jesus has in essence. I will bear the wrath of God, so that the peoples who walk in darkness will now walk in the light, free and forgiven. I will endure the darkness of the cross, so that the world plunged into the darkness of sin would be saved. This is John 3.17. Satan showed Jesus the nations of the world, the kingdoms of the world, the world in darkness in that moment.

A world belonging to Satan. A world under the dominion and deception of Satan. Jesus says, no, I'm going to go to a cross and save them. I'm going to endure the darkness for them and save them. And that's exactly what happened.

Just think about that. Literally in the moment that Christ bore the wrath of God for the sins of this dark world on the cross, what happened? Darkness prevailed on the earth. Isn't that interesting? The text says darkness prevailed on the land.

As Jesus cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And then he cried out, it is finished. Darkness has fallen over the whole land. And who is it in that moment of darkness where the darkness, the wrath of God is being poured out on Christ the Son, darkness is covering the earth, who is it in that moment when he cries out, it is finished? Who is it that speaks?

Who's the first person that speaks? A pagan speaks. A Roman centurion speaks. A man who quite literally put Jesus up on the cross. This is a pagan.

This is a representative of those who walk in darkness. This is a Gentile. You can't get more dark than Gentilian people. Darkness is covering the land. Christ is bearing the darkness for his people, bearing the darkness for a dark world.

He's winning the nations to himself. And who is it that speaks in that moment? A representative of the nations. Harvey, that's amazing. And the Gentile cries out these words.

It's almost like he sees Jesus for the first time. It's almost like a man who was walking in the darkness sees the light. Truly, This man was the son of God. Those who walk in darkness will see a great light. In Adam, the world plunged into darkness, the world cursed.

In Jesus, the world saved, the world blessed. Just as God promised Abraham. So that at the moment of his death, a Gentile is already, I just find it so fun, at the moment of Christ's death, a Gentile is receiving the promise of Abraham. Blessing the nations. That quick.

Immediately. Can't make this stuff up. In Jesus the world saved. The world blessed. So much so.

So much so. The world is saved, I mean, this is so real, that as Jesus comes out of the grave three days later, He says to his disciples, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, go therefore and make disciples of who? All the nations. Why Jesus? Why go into all the world and disciple all the peoples?

What's Jesus' answer? Because I won them. Because they're mine. Because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, those nations belong to me. They're under my authority.

What was once Satan's is no longer Satan's. They're mine. They're mine. And so Jesus says, go and get what is mine. Go and disciple what I bought with my blood.

Go and get what I bought with my blood. Now friends, that's ultimately the promise of Isaiah chapter 9 verse 3, the multiplication of the nation to the ends of the earth. That gladness is spreading. Joy is spreading. You are part of that multiplication, church.

So Just think about what a glorious thing that Christmas brought about. That you and I, we come, we, We all come from paganism. Best I can tell. We all come from paganism. We are Gentiles by birth.

We were without hope and without God in the world. That's what the scriptures tell us as Gentiles. Without God, without hope in the world. But wonders of wonders. Here we are this morning, gathered at his table, and we're no longer without God and without hope in this world.

Why? Because 2, 000 years ago God turned on the Christmas lights of promise and he shone the light of the gospel of the glory of God in Christ Jesus into our hearts and into our lands and he made us glad. He saved us in the incarnation. What grace. I mean, how Amazing Christmas is.

You know, Christmas is the foundation for all gladness, for all merriment. Christmas is the foundation for joy, for all gladness, for all the nations. And that's Psalm 67-4. Let the nations be what? Glad.

Jesus says, I'll make them glad in me. And he did that beginning of Christmas. Let the nations be glad. And that's exactly Isaiah 9 verse 3. Let me read it again.

You shall multiply the nation. Listen for that word glad. You shall increase their gladness. They will be glad in your presence as with the gladness of harvest as men rejoice when they divide the spoil all the same language. I want you to think on that phrase there in the middle of verse 3 as with the gladness of harvest.

Well think about that. Does that sound familiar to you? Christ himself said the harvest is here. The harvest is here. God has brought it about in the coming of his son.

And you and I, we are invited into that harvest as his workmen, as we proclaim tidings of what? Comfort and joy. Found in the Lord Jesus Christ as we proclaim these glad tidings of comfort and joy to our neighbors and to the nations. I mean, you wanna talk about motivation for evangelism? You wanna talk about motivation for missions?

Motivation to talk to your loved one this Christmas season. Motivation to make that walk, that long walk across the street to your neighbor. We'll talk about motivation. Tidings of comfort and joy. The King has come, the Savior has come, rejoice and be glad in the God of salvation.

Repent and believe His gospel. You have sinned, but there is a Savior who is greater than your sin. There is no power. There is no authority. There is no sin.

Too great for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has triumphed over it all in His life, and in His death, and in His resurrection. Christmas marks the end of the old and the beginning of all things new. So come, that's the message, right? Come, come neighbor, come nations, Come and be welcome to Jesus Christ.

Come and be glad. I mean, that's what we say on Christmas, isn't it? I mean, you say it, you ought to say it. If you don't say it, that's a big application today. Merry Christmas.

And man, as a Christian, you really mean that word Merry. Merry Christmas. You say it, why? Because you mean it. You say Merry Christmas because Christmas is the foundation for anything that is merry.

And that's why you say things and you see things and you sing things like joy to the world because the Lord has come. He came on Christmas. That's why you sing, let earth receive her king, not sometime in the future. No right now. He came 2000 years ago just as Isaiah 9 said he would in his first coming to multiply the nations to increase gladness, to bring about the harvest now.

Then at the end of verse three, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil, This gladness, this is describing the gladness that's going to come when Emmanuel comes. This gladness is as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. Now, that's war language, don't you think? Dividing the spoil. Why is Isaiah using battle language?

Combat language. Spoil. Why is that? The answer is because the war for the world has been won in the birth, and in the life, and in the death, and in the resurrection, and in the ascension of the Son of God who came on Christmas. Therefore, you sing, and I think you sing, belief in your hearts.

Let every heart prepare him room. And let heaven and nature sing. Let heaven and earth sing. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. Why?

Because he comes on Christmas to make his blessings flow. How far? As far as the curse is found. For you. For your children.

Children? Jesus came for you. Jesus came for you. He came for your neighbor. He came for your family.

For a world in darkness. Jesus came to do, verse 4, to break the yoke of slavery and to sever the burden of your sin. And that's verse four, I want you to look at verse four. For you shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor is at the battle of Midian. I think that language is real similar to the language Bunyan uses of Christian on his way to the celestial city in the Pilgrim's Progress, remember that?

He's carrying his great burden of sin like hitched up to him and at the cross That burden is severed from his shoulders from his back and it tumbles into an empty tomb Isaiah is using the imagery of slavery here. The people are being treated as if they are animals, yoked in slavery. They're under oppressors who are far worse than Syria, namely Sin and Satan. I mean, who rules Assyria? Who rules the oppressor of Assyria?

Satan. So of course Assyria. I mean some of you, the one pushback I might get this morning, let's talk about Assyria. Okay, sure. Who's king over that?

Satan. Sin. So these are harsh masters that Isaiah has in view here. These masters of sin and Satan, they're beating down Israel, the people of God with rods of oppression and condemnation. Listen to this, but on Christmas, the Savior named Jesus came.

And do you know what that Savior said? My yoke. My yoke is what? Is easy. My burden is light.

Remember that? You think he just randomly made it up? My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Which means, if you get his yoke by faith, if you get his burden by his grace, he necessarily must take off the old one.

Necessarily so. And he, he will bear the rod of divine judgment for you Christian in your place in his crucifixion. Your burden becomes his burden, Your yoke becomes His, and He gives you His own in exchange. What a Savior. What a Savior.

He breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free. Do you know that his blood could make the foulest thing? He's blood available for me That's a Christmas present So what did Jesus do to save the world? How did he become triumphant?

What did Jesus do to redeem his people out of the kingdom of darkness and transfer them into the kingdom of light? What did Jesus do to ransom a people in captivity, not just to Assyria or to Babylon, but the captivity of their sins? What did he do? He broke the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders. He broke the rod of their oppressor, sin and Satan, and he did it, Isaiah says, just like he did at the Battle of Midian.

Do you remember Midian? Midian? Isaiah brings up Midian, so I'm supposed to bring up Midians. Children, do you remember the Battle of Midian? It was with a man named Gideon.

Isn't that fun that they rhyme? I thought it was really fun during my study. Oh, Gideon, Gideon. Children, do you remember that story? It's in the book of Judges.

Gideon's got this big army, he's gonna go fight the Midianites and the Amalekites. He gets his big army, and God speaks to him. Says, Gideon, army's too big. What? Don't you see them?

Have you seen the medianized? God's like, yeah, I know, it's too big. He whittles that big army down to 300 men Thousands versus 300 now children. What do you think about that? That's that's doesn't make sense to you wouldn't make sense to me.

Wait a minute here You know, I got to carry the one, but there's a lot of people. I only have 300. And God keeps saying, keeps whittling it down, too many men, too many men, too many men. He sends almost all of them home. 300 against the thousands of the Midianites and the Amalekites.

Why do you think God did that, children? Well here's the answer. I think you know. God did that. God sent all those men home so that it would be clear to all that it was God and God alone who delivered His people.

It was God and God alone who rescues and redeems His people. It is God and God alone who ultimately gives and who ultimately secures the victory for His people. If so, at midian, How much more so in the battle against sin and Satan? It is God and God alone who breaks the power of canceled sin, and it is God and God alone that sets prisoners free. Christ alone.

We break covenant, but God keeps covenant and steadfast love forever. You bring your sin. You bring your desperate need for God's gracious covenants. And it is God who keeps them in the midst of your failure. God does this and He did it on Christmas.

God keeps His covenants. And verse 7 ends with that same theme. No skipping the verses. We'll come back later. Look at the end.

Verse 7. Who will accomplish these things? Who will accomplish all that Isaiah prophesied God to do? God will. God does it.

Just as God did at Midian, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish these things God the sovereign grace of God Will accomplish these things So friends do you realize? What we are doing during this time of Advent in Christmas do you realize what we are doing during this time of Advent and Christmas? Do you realize what we are doing in celebrating Christmas? This is a celebration of covenant. This is a celebration of covenant keeping, of a covenant keeping God.

A God who prophesied of a seed to be born of a virgin who would bless all the nations to save the world, Emmanuel out of Galilee of the Gentiles, who would come to break the yoke and burden off of the shoulders of a people in captivity, to bear that yoke and burden himself, and to bring triumph in ways far better than he even brought at Midian. What is that triumph? What is the triumph of Christmas? Well a taste of It is right here in this room. It's a taste of it.

Here at this table, a taste of that triumph. Literally. Here in these baptisms, a sweet taste of that triumph. Here in this building, triumph after triumph after triumph after triumph, household after household after household, land after land after land, and the people who once totally totally walked in darkness. A people who would otherwise walk in darkness, you and me, have seen a great light.

And it was God and God alone, His zeal, who gave you eyes to see. Was it not? It was God who gave you the faith to believe. Was it not? It is God who keeps you.

It is God who feeds you. It is God who transferred you from the kingdom of the darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son. And it is God who has marked you out as his own through the sacraments on the Lord's day, that's triumph. This room is saturated with triumph. Our land, you know what, might not feel like it when we get to that in just a second, but our land is saturated with triumphant light.

When 2000 years ago it was covered in complete darkness. So you might wonder, okay, I get it, Pastor. Take an Isaiah 9 and you say, hey people who walk in darkness gonna see a great light Get it. I get it, but Doesn't feel like that You haven't you seen the world? The dude does not ever listen to the news.

The dude's clearly not on social media, which I'm not. It doesn't feel like there was much triumph at Christmas, pastor. It doesn't feel like when I turn on the news or when I go to work that there's much triumph at Christmas. I mean, come on. It doesn't feel like verses one through four are true.

Well, if that's you, and I mean this with all my heart, I lovingly, lovingly want to say to you, stop that. Stop letting your feelings tell you what is true and what is not. Stop interpreting the Bible based on your current circumstances. The Bible literally says there was darkness, but there would come a great light. Oh, there's darkness.

There must have been... The Bible says it, so let the Bible Influence your feelings and not the other way around. Don't do that. Don't let your feelings be the hermeneutic that you use. Don't let your very, very, extremely minimal, you know, for me, 37 years of experience, 37 years of seeing the world.

That's the lens I'm going to use. Instead, let God inform your feelings. So are you in this room? Are you this morning trusting Christ? For many of us in this room are our children trusting Christ?

All the way on the other side of the world from where Christ was born. You're doing that right now. Your children are trusting the other side of the world. You're on the other side. And you and your household are trusting Christ.

It doesn't matter how you feel. You have to deal with that reality that I just said. It doesn't matter how you feel, you have to deal with the reality that his gospel has reached even you and that his gospel has set you free and your children free. That this gospel is here and triumphant. You have to deal with that reality.

You have to deal with it. You have to. So let me give you a homework assignment. Good job. When I did that to my middle school class, they would collectively groan.

You had no groaning. Way to go. Something to do, at least meditate on after you leave here. To perhaps better understand the triumph of Christmas. If you're saying, I don't know about this idea.

Was it really triumph beginning at Christmas? Here's what you need to do. I need you to get a world map. I need you to write at the top of that world map. You know, get a good one.

Before Christmas, right? Before Christmas, right? For Christmas at the top. And then I want you to draw a circle around the land and the peoples of the world that were the Israel of God. Draw a circle around the Israel of God.

The people hoping, the people hoping in the promise of the Covenants, the people hoping in the promise of Christmas from 4000 BC to Christmas. Those are the people you're going to circle. The land and the people. Once you've done that, I want you to step back, and I want you to look at that circle. And here's what I think you'll notice.

It's a pretty small circle. It's actually a really small circle. And then I want you to put that aside for reference. You want to get another map out, two maps. This map I want you to write after Christmas.

Top of this map after Christmas. This map is after God turned on the Christmas lights of promise. This is a map of today. 2000 years after Christmas. Now on this map, draw a circle around the Israel of God today, post Christmas.

2000 years after Christmas. Draw a circle around the Israel of God, hoping in the same promise, but now realized. Now realized. I want you to draw a circle around the Israel of God trusting in the same covenant, but now realizing Jesus Christ. How big is that circle?

It's a circle around the whole world. And that circle will actually only increase. Verse 7 says so. There will be no end to the increase of His governance or of peace. And Jesus Himself says, the gates of hell cannot stand against the news of Christmas.

That's triumph. You're living in it. You're living in a world where God has turned on the glorious Christmas lights of promise, He's not shutting them off. Do you see those glorious lights? Do the eyes of your hearts see them?

If you do, praise God, from whom all blessings flow. He has taken you who walk in darkness and made you see a great light That should change everything about the way you approach this Christmas season and if you see those lights that are then verses one through four then man I Can't wait to show you the bay that even higher wattage lights Verses five six and seven, which you just didn't have time to get to. But next week, we're willing. We will. But let's pray now, father, we thank you for this, your word, how good it is to know your promises and to know that in Jesus Christ they are yes and amen.

Lord, as we go out of here, especially as we enter into the evening and we see Christmas lights dotting the landscape of Erlen, may it remind us of all of these Christmas promises, these covenants that you had strung up throughout Genesis to Malachi, and how in today, when we string up lights, we are remembering that you keep covenant in steadfast love forever. Make us a glad people more and more, rejoicing because our King and Savior has come. We ask that the earth would indeed receive her King. We thank you Lord in his name and now ask that you'd help us as we shout triumphantly and sing with merry hearts. Amen.