The Sound of Prophecy

Theme Details

Title: The Symphony of Christmas: The Sound of Prophecy

Date: December 5th, 2020

Text: Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7

Subject: The people are lost and in darkness and in need of a king.

Complement: A King will come in power who will bring light, longevity and joy.

Key Idea: A powerful King will come who will take the people from lostness and darkness to light, longevity and joy.

Memorable Bottom Line: The Sound of Prophecy Is the Sound of the King We Are Desperate For

Message Details (Notes/Slides)

Introduction:

The Adagio, the second movement of the symphony moves us from crisis to the beginning of a resolution, something is happening in the Adagio, there is a slow anticipation, a build up of sorts and as we continue in our series the Symphony of Christmas, Mateo has helped us with that build up, with that second movement. With the cadence he played for us this morning there is the introduction of a military feel to Christmas, and rightly so because as we continue in our series of Advent, as we look this morning at The Sound of Prophecy, what we will see is the prophecy of a child, but even more than just a child, more than just a promised offspring that we saw last week in Genesis 3, we see a child who will be promised through the prophet Isaiah who is more than a child, he is a king.

Transition:

Open your Bible with me to Isaiah 9 starting at verse 2. As we consider the symphony of Christmas, the agreement of sounds from Genesis 3 to Isaiah 9, we see a continuity, a sweetness of the sound that works together. This morning as we listen for the sound of prophecy, the sweet sound of God speaking through his people and for his people, we find a people in a monarchy that is slowly falling apart, the kings Israel wanted are not what they expected, in part because of their humanity, their sinfulness. the king that God’s people needed could never be fulfilled in any one man and rightly so, because in God’s economy, his desire is for his people to see and have and experience one king. and the sound we hear as we are faced with this continued crisis in the Symphony of Christmas we hear the cadence of a procession. The processional sound in the Symphony of Christmas of the coming king, the king we are desperate for.

Teaching:

Isaiah 9:2-3, 6-7 (ESV) 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

As we look at this passage I need a child to come and help me with something…

So you are going to help me explain the first part of our Bible passage this morning; do you notice something different about this tree compared to the rest of the trees on the stage? All of the other trees have lights that are lit, that is correct! I love Christmas lights and I love Christmas trees with lights on them, I really feel like that is the way they are supposed to be don’t you? During Christmas when we have a tree like this something just doesn’t seem right does it. Well that is what was happening in our Bible passage today, Isaiah says  The people who walked in darkness, they dwelt in a land of deep darkness. They were kind of like this tree this tree is dwelling in darkness no lights, sad little Christmas tree, but when we take what God says to Isaiah, he says even though they were in darkness God was going to do something, he was going to bring light.

So what we are going to do is we are going to bring light into the darkness of this tree. So here is what I want you to do, I want you to take this prophecy candle as an example of what Isaiah does here and I want you to touch the darkness of this tree with the light of this prophecy.

Great Job!

Friends that is what the light of prophecy does in this passage.

Move 1: The Sound of Prophecy Destroys the Silence of Darkness

This was the state of the nation of Israel, you have a people called to be God’s people, a people who knew their need for a king, but the problem for Israel was that they looked for a king after what they wanted, desired and hoped for in the world.

We hear the demand of Israel to have a king over them like the rest of the nations in 1 Samuel 8:19b-20 (ESV) there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

The problem for Israel is that they already had a King, the God of glory, but they wanted to be like the nations around them and God said, fine, let’s see how that works for you. And what happens is they end up like every nation, every earthly kingdom, strong and full of power, but eventually that power gives way, the strong becomes weak in the light of someone stronger and in the case of Israel, because their roots, their heritage, is a heritage of being God’s people, when you want to be just like the world, the collapse is even more devastating, and that is where Israel finds itself, as a remnant of who they were. That was their darkness, a distance from God, a people who are dwindling, a silence in the darkness but then a sound breaks forth, the sound of the processional, far off in the distance. He can’t be seen, but he can be heard, the sound of the cadence is approaching, you can hear the drums, the king is coming.

Move 2: The Sound of the Coming King Is Powerful

Isaiah points our attention to the sound of one who is to come; a child to be born a son to be given and there will be a particular nature about this son that is inescapable, it is the nature of a king that Israel never knew they always wanted. It is the truest sense of a king. According to the text in verse 6 the government shall be upon his shoulders. It’s a strange saying isn’t it? The government shall be upon his shoulders??? Interestingly enough this passage is the only time this Hebrew word is found in the Bible here in verse 6 and again in verse 7. So the question is, what government? All government!

Now we are not talking about governmental systems or political structures, we are talking about the governing, the ruling, the cosmic ordering, the divine sovereign authority of the entire universe is going to be on the shoulders of this child to come, this king to come; and he carries it with might.

Friends as each one of us have experienced the silence of darkness we can understand Israel’s current state because we’ve experienced it, have you ever experienced the silence of darkness, where the sound of your life is not in agreement with the sound of grace? This is why we need to hear the triumphant cadence of the sound of the coming king, the sound of prophecy. Are you trying to carry your burdens on your own like Israel? Are you trying to be a king unto yourself or looking to this world to shoulder your load. There is a king, a king who carries the authority of the universe; all rule and reign is his, and if all rule and reign is his as your king, is your burden too heavy for Him?

This king that would come said himself in Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This is the king you want, the sound of this prophecy comes with power, it comes proclaiming the authority that the Christ child will possess. The notes played here are not docile notes, they ring with the sound of a thunderous drum; even at the sound of his name.

He is wonderful, this king to come is wonderful, our hearts should be filled with awe and wonder as we hear him and his processional approaching. He is mighty, he is all powerful, he is everlasting, this kingdom is an eternal kingdom, it will last forever, and ultimately what he brings is peace. He comes as a mighty king with all rule and authority and wages war on sin, wages war on death and the war chant is I will not stand as a king to my people and not be wonderful for them, not be mighty for them, not be everlasting for them I will shout the war chant of heaven on Satan and sin and I will be a triumphant King…

…but as a wonderful king, as a mighty king, as an everlasting king, as any good king he does not wage war for wars sake, his ultimate aim is peace, it is rejoicing, it is celebration at the victory to be won.

Look again at what Isaiah says:

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end…

In other words as the coming king, the rule and reign of this child to be born will be ever increasing, but as his rule and reign is ever increasing so to his peace will be ever increasing.

This is why Isaiah says in verse 3 the people will rejoice as in the time of harvest, they will rejoice as those dividing the spoil. When does harvesting happen? At the end of planting season. When are spoils divided? After a war. You see this peace that he extends is a peace for his people that is to come, which means we must continue to fight along side him, it is the reward of allegiance to King Jesus, eternal peace, shalom. Friends that is no soft child-like king, that is a warrior king that will come to be born who will fight for his people and my question is are you willing to fight with him as you come under his rule, are you willing the bang the drum of the processional of the coming king, will you fight for peace. The sound of prophecy is the sound of a powerful coming king.

In C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Susan Pevensie asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan, the Christ figure in this allegory, if he is safe? To which Mr. Beaver replies, “Who said anything about being safe? Of course he isn’t safe, but he is good, he is the King I tell you.”

Friends I don’t know about you but these are times of great chaos and what I want more than anything else in the world for you as a pastor is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding to be the narrative of your life, but this passage tells us something very important. It requires something of you. As you hear the procession of the coming King in this sound of prophecy you may be asking, “is he safe”? I don’t know if following Jesus is safe friends, but he is good and he is a King I tell you. If you want the peace of God in ever increasing measure that requires you to take a risk, to allow the increase of his government in your life, that is how you fight. It is risky because it will cost you allegiances to other things. Are you yielding to the authority of Jesus Christ or are there other things that you have given authority to in you life?

If you desire to have another authority in your life, this king who is prophesied about by Isaiah, he will allow the sound to go silent, just like he did in Israel. He will allow you to walk in darkness to feel the experience of what another authority feels like, but the sound of this prophecy is waiting, it is ready, it is ready to burst forth if you will start by saying I want nothing to rule my life any longer other than Christ alone. My finances will not rule me, my fear of death will not rule over me, my pride will not rule over me, gossip and complaining will not rule over me, only Jesus will rule over me and just like in our example we had with our tree this morning, the light will shine in the darkness.

This is why darkness is equated with silence in the Symphony of Christmas. Darkness is nothing and when I say that, I mean darkness is not a thing, darkness is simply the absence of light. Darkness cannot make light less light it has no power. No, light exposes darkness for the nothing that it is, as soon as light is shining in the darkness, darkness has no power…friends let the light of Jesus Christ shine in your life today because…

Move 3:  This Coming King is Given To Us

Look at the text again:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

This Son who is prophesied about, the sound of prophecy ringing in Isaiah’s words, the procession that starts here and comes to fruition at Christmas, this isn’t for God’s sake, it is for our sake. The child is born Christmas morning for us, the Son is given for us. As much as this sound of prophecy is talking about the coming king, Jesus Christ, it is also talking about you, it is talking about me, it is talking about us. We are included in the us referred to in this passage if we will respond to the call of God on our lives.

Without him we sit in the depleting silence of darkness and here is what I know about you, even if I don’t know you. You don’t want to be in darkness. You don’t want to live in the silence of the war of sin and death. You want peace and you know for certain that the things you have given authority to in your life are failing you. They are bad kings. You need a good king, you need a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace.

Bottom Line: The Sound of Prophecy is the Sound of the King We Are Desperate For

Communion:

As we come now to the table of the Lord please start taking the communion packages and start opening them, the story of advent is never divorced from the truth of the cross. This wonderful, mighty, everlasting King comes in order that he might be, according to Hebrews 12:2 (ESV) the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

And he does that as the means of bringing peace. He does it for us. As real as this bread is to the touch and as real as the juice is to your taste, so to is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to bring peace very, very real. And while we do this in remembrance of Him, His presence is just as real right now in this room by the power of his Spirit dwelling within us. Let’s celebrate that which this prophecy ushers in, a coming king and let’s partake of the elements together.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.