Advent: The Gift of Hope.

Real Dudes,
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to provide the message at Church. Below I’ve provided the link to view it along with my message notes. I pray God will speak to each of our hearts as we read through this and or view it. I hope each of you have a great Holiday season. 
Practicing His Presence,
Pastor Nate

Link to message on-line… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdY7p5soUOg 

Our text this morning will be in Isaiah chapter 9. As you’re turning there I just want to point out that we’re beginning our Advent Series today. This morning I’ll be sharing with each of us, The Gift of Hope. 

• Theme: Even in the Darkest Days, God’s Light Breaks Through. 

Please follow along as I read out loud: Isaiah 9:2, and 6a (CSB) 

• 2 The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.
6a For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,

I don’t know about you, but Verse 6 is a verse I’m very familiar with…the context around it is something I wasn’t quite as familiar with prior to beginning this study. This morning I’m not going to provide you with a typical three point message. What I hope to do is walk you through some of the questions that were raised in my mind as I was navigating through this passage. My goal is to help you understand the text better and also walk you through how to dive into and study a passage. Each of the questions I’ll be raising today begins with the question WHY? 

The first WHY question that surfaced for me was…
Why were there people living and walking in darkness? 

• What is Darkness? Let me define that for us to begin with…
  • One author states that darkness “refers…to the darkness of distress.” 
    • Another author clarifies what the Darkness of Distress is. It is “a biblical phrase that symbolizes a state of severe suffering, spiritual blindness, and overwhelming anguish often resulting from sin or divine judgment. It represents not only external hardship like devastation and turmoil, but also the internal feeling of being crushed by fear, anxiety, and a lack of guidance or hope. The imagery is used to describe situations where individuals or nations turn away from God and face dire consequences.”
    • Darkness is interchangeable with the phrase shadow of death. 
      • Psalm 23:4 is in reference to the valley of the shadow of death being a dark time and place in one’s life. 

• As we consider today’s passage…Why are the people described as those who lived and walked in a land of darkness? 

• In Isaiah 10:1-15 the Assyrians, the ones ruling the land, are described as… 

• Crooked. 
• Oppressive. 
• Subjugating their inhabitants. 
• Running an unfair justice system. 
• Thieves. 
• Arrogant. 
• Prideful. 
• In Nahum 3:19…Nineveh (the capital city of Assyria) is described as a place where they were ruling with Constant Cruelty. 

• In Isaiah 9:8-21 the Israelites, the ones who would eventually come under Assyrian rule, are described as such… 

• Prior to going into captivity. 
  • Prideful. 
  • Arrogant. 
  • Refusing to turn to the Lord.
  • Liars. 
  • Misleading others. 
  • Godless Evildoers. 
  • Those who spoke foolishness. 
  • And Wicked. 
  • As you can see – The Israelites weren’t much different than the Assyrians in many ways. 
  • And as Pastor Kyle would say…they were Israel-light-less:)

•  Because of their choice to live in such darkness themselves, 
  • We read in Isaiah 10:5, and 15 that God…
    • Would use Assyria as His tool to bring about judgement upon His people. For instance in 

• Vs. 5…God says, “Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger—the staff in their hands is my wrath.”

• Going back to Isaiah 9:8-21 you’ll find that…

• The Lord has raised up adversaries and stirred up enemies against Israel…delivering them into the hands of the Assyrians…delivering them into
  the LAND of DARKNESS. 
• Prior to captivity and during captivity the Israelites…
  • Refused to repent and turn to Him and seek Him out. 
  • They didn’t receive any joy or compassion from God because of their actions. 

• And they continued to experience God’s anger. 

• After hearing and reading this…does it seem like God was maybe a little extreme for placing His people in such dark times? I mean, wouldn’t it have been ideal if God would have at least given the Israelites a verbal warning? Or did He? 
  • We read in 2 Kings and Deuteronomy, that God, in fact, gave the Israelites plenty of Warnings…I’m going to read to you some very descriptive passages to help us understand God’s previous attempts to get their attention…I know they’re kind of long, but please stay with me…

• In 2 Kings 17:13-20 (CSB) we read that “Still, the Lord warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commands and statutes according to the whole law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through my servants the prophets.’ 14 But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate like their ancestors who did not believe the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his statutes and his covenant he had made with their ancestors and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves, following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate. 16 They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angered him. 18 Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel, and he removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained. 19 Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God but lived according to the customs Israel had practiced. 20 So the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, punished them, and handed them over to plunderers until he had banished them from his presence.”
• In 2 Kings 18:11-12 (CSB) we read that 11 The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and put them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not listen to the Lord their God but violated his covenant—all he had commanded Moses the servant of the Lord. They did not listen, and they did not obey.
• And lastly, Deuteronomy 28:62-65 (CSB) 62 Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God. 63 Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are entering to possess. 64 Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. 65 You will find no peace among those nations, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit.

Now that I know what I know about the way the Israelites were living and walking…I ask myself – Why didn’t God send another Flood and eliminate them? I mean, just start all over?  

• God promised in Genesis 8 and 9 that He would never do that again. 
• It kind of feels like watching a movie, right? You find yourself cheering for the bad guys to get the book thrown at them. If you’ve ever had a reason to really give it to the Israelites, then now is your opportunity, Lord. 
• So what was His solution this time? What did He come up with that would really get their attention? 

In Isaiah 9:2, and verse 6 God says, here’s what I’ll do…

• I’ll send – a light, 
  • This light will be a great light that will dawn/shine on everyone…so that everyone will be able to see it. 
  • That light…that light will be My Son, Jesus Christ, the hope that you need.

Woah, wait a second…Why did God allow His light to shine on those living and walking in such darkness? Did He somehow get amnesia and forget how evil they had become? Did He forget their unrepentance…their refusal to turn to Him? Did they truly deserve God’s Son? 

• Truth is…none of us do. We’ve all fallen short. The wages of our sin is death. BUT, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
• So when is this light coming? When will we get to see Him? 
  • I’ll send Him in about 700 years. 

Why did it take 700 years for God to provide the light? Why 15 generations later? Why so long? 

• It’s all about His Perfect Timing. 
• It was an opportunity for His people to practice patience. 
• Something that’s difficult, but so true, is that a period of waiting builds hope. 
• 700 years seems like a long time, but it’s been even longer that He hasn’t returned yet. 
  • A span of 80 generations so far. Why? 
  • 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
  • Earlier, when I was referencing WARNINGS, I ended with Deuteronomy 28:65. The conclusion of that verse provides for us information regarding God’s judgment on His people. It reads that, “the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and a despondent spirit.”
    • Despondent meaning loss of hope. They now have an opportunity to see and to be hope-filled. 
    • In Acts 26:18 (CSB) we read another great reason why it’s taking so long. This period of time is an opportunity for God “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
    • The blind man that was healed in John 9:25 (CSB) declared this, “One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see! ”
      • I was hopeless, and now I’m hope-filled. 

Why are some choosing to not receive the light? 

• One of the main reasons that I see from Scripture is found in John chapter 3. They have a Fear of being Exposed by THE Light. 
  • John 3:19-20 (CSB) 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 
  • So they choose to dig themselves deeper in sin and remain in the land of darkness. 
  • Darkness becomes their comfort zone, their safe place. It’s what they know best, and are somehow convinced they’re where they need to be. 

Why are some choosing to come to, believe in, and receive the light? 

• The main reason is because His Light is Life-Giving. 
  • John 1:4 (CSB) states that, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
  • John 8:12 (CSB) Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
  • John 3:16 (CSB) For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
  • John 20:31 (CSB) But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Consider the following passages…

• John 1:7-8 (CSB) He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.
• And then 1 Peter 2:9 (CSB) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

After hearing those few verses…Ask yourselves, “Why should I share the light with those choosing to live in darkness?” Why?

• Because darkness used to define you. 
  • Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
    • Testify about THE Light!!!

• I should also share the light, because the Lord’s not willing that any should perish. His will should also be my will. 
  • 2 Peter 3:9 (CSB) The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

Why do I have hope today? 

• I believe what God prophesied of and fulfilled in Isaiah 9 and Luke 2. He sent and gave His Son…Therefore, I sincerely believe that He will return again one day as He also promised. 
  • Communion helps remind us of that truth. 
    • 1 Corinthians 11:26 (CSB) For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    • As do other passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (CSB)... don’t miss all the “will’s.”
      • 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

I’d like to share with us a couple of the State of Alaska’s Phenomena’s. 

• One is the Polar Night. 

• One author states that polar night “happens when Earth’s tilt pushes Arctic regions into a winter shadow so deep that the sun never rises above the horizon.”
• This usually happens sometime between November - January. 
• And lasts around 64-67 days straight. 

• And the other phenomena is the Midnight Sun. 
  • The midnight sun is the phenomenon in Alaska where the sun remains visible 24 hours a day for a period during the summer due to the Earth's axial tilt. 
  • This usually happens sometime between April - August. 
  • And lasts around 70-80 days straight. 

If you were given the choice of 60 some straight days of darkness or 70 some straight days of light to live and walk in, which one would you choose? And Why? 

If you were given the choice of living and walking in the Land of Darkness or living and walking in the Light of Life, which one would you choose? And Why?

Listen, if you’re tired of living in the Land of Darkness and would like to receive this Hope, The Light, The Child, The Son today, then you can repeat this prayer in your head as I read it aloud…you can follow along on the screen…

• "God, I know that I am a sinner…I know that I’ve been living and walking in darkness…and I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ, THE LIGHT as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord, for sending your Son and for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!"

If you prayed that prayer today and sincerely meant it, then I’d love to hear about it. Please email me or seek me out between services. Praying for you as you begin your hope-filled life with the Lord.