The incarnation is God bringing light - Isaiah 9:1-7
This is a sermon by Peter Birnie from the Riverside Church service on 21st December 2025.
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Isaiah 9 v 1-7 “The Incarnation is God bringing light”
Intro: (Slide 1) Intro to the last battle then; “Your father and mother and all of you are – as you used to call it in the shadowlands – dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream has ended: this is the morning. And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And as for us this is the end of all stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
The Pevensie family in that story have died and are just realising that they are in glory forever and that they are in glory because they are with Aslan. Right there, CS Lewis is teaching Revelation and he is teaching it so well because he is linking the new heavens and new earth and eternal delights in the presence of God and his people with connection to Jesus. (Slide 2) And that brings us perfectly to Isaiah chapter 9, to people living in the shadowlands, people who were walking in darkness. In Isaiah 9 God speaks to people struggling because of the curse of sin and death and He promises eternal light to come, and with that eternal light, eternal peace. These eternal blessings are to come by a baby being born, but a baby with some incredible names and overwhelming victories attached.
(Slide 3) In Isaiah’s time there was much darkness indeed; God’s chosen people were living in deep shadows when they should have been living in his light. What darkness were the people of God living in when Isaiah wrote down this hope-filled prophesy?
- There was an internal darkness. Their own sin and constant failure in terms of idolatry (worshipping other gods and looking to them for help) and adultery (cheating on God by disobedience and unfaithfulness to his rule) had meant a darkness within them and among them as a people.
- And there was an external darkness. They were surrounded by threatening enemies like the Assyrians who were bigger and stronger than them and whose aims and ambitions were filled with threat.
As verse 2 starts, these people really were “walking in darkness.” (Slide 4) And the truth is that we all battle with that same darkness, a darkness that came with sin entering in and God’s curse upon this earth. We battle with internal darkness – how many times this last week have you been impatient with people you love? How many times have you hidden away from situations rather than dealing with them well? How many times has love for God and people been absent and bitterness taken its place? How many times have you given in to despair rather than continuing in hope? It is gloomy inside!
And then there are the external circumstances, trials, difficulties, thorns and thistles that come from living in the shadowlands, in a world of gloom because of sin and death. It is gloomy outside as well. And even worse, here is a key message that God gives us in his word from start to finish, in every single book and chapter of the bible – this is a darkness that we cannot do anything about. By ourselves we are walking in darkness, crawling in darkness, drowning in darkness, trapped in darkness. Education hasn’t worked to get rid of darkness. Money hasn’t worked. Politics hasn’t worked. Religion hasn’t worked. Morality hasn’t worked. Escapism hasn’t worked. Entertainment hasn’t worked. In fact those things often make it even darker, inside and out…..
Here are some words from our nation’s history that broke into deep darkness (Slide 5); “Yesterday morning, at 2.41 am, at General Eisenhower’s headquarters, top German officials signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe. Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight, Tuesday 8th May… today is Victory in Europe day.” The end of war in Europe – what amazing news that was for the people in this nation to hear broadcast over the airwaves. But great though that was, it is small and weak in comparison to God’s broadcast to the world in Isaiah 9 v 2 (Slide 6); “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.” God announces that he understands the deep darkness but that there is a time coming when the gloom is gone, when it will be chased away forever;
- A time of Light (v2) that chases away darkness
- A time of Joy (v3) that takes the place of despair
- A time of Deliverance (v4) that takes the place of captivity
- A time of Peace (v5) that takes the place of turbulence
Does this not sound brilliant to you? Don’t you long for the light-filled, joyous day of deliverance when warrior’s boots and blood-stained battle armour are a thing of the past, destroyed because there is no more need of them ever???
(Slide 7) “Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! God was coming to help his people, just as he promised in the beginning. But how would he come? What would he be like? What would he do? Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held it’s breath. As silent as snow falling, he came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.”
That chapter (“He’s here”) from the Jesus Storybook bible contains the life-changing fact that we now are not in the same position as the believers in Isaiah’s day. Yes we are still in the shadowlands, yes we see the darkness of sin within and around us, yes the shadow of death looms large, and yet, for those of us with faith in Jesus, there is bright light to walk in now, there is a fantastic basis for present joy; there is current freedom from sin to revel in, and there is an established eternal peace with God that will never be changed.
(Slide 8) “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We celebrate Christmas with such enthusiasm and care because the Incarnation is God bringing light into our present darkness. Christmas is an amazing time for followers of Jesus because we get to deliberately remember together what we have in him.
As we consider these next points, if you are a believer, take courage from these truths – be far more full of gratitude for the incredible riches that belong to us, live more passionately for Jesus and be far louder about sharing his gospel with others. And if you are not a believer yet, as you listen, realise that whatever you have already yourself is just so poor and miserable compared to what is offered in Christ. Realise the contrast between staying in darkness and walking into the light. And realise that this is not just a future hope, but a present reality. The child born in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ is;
- (Slide 9) Our Wonderful counsellor: Normally it is only very important people like cabinet members, prime ministers, presidents and kings who have counsellors to work with them, advise them, protect them from wrong. But humble believers in Jesus (like raggedy shepherds in the Christmas account) – we have a wonderful counsellor. In Christ we have all the wisdom of God given to us. There is never a time when a believer in Jesus will ever again be alone. He is with us NOW, our wonderful counsellor (I have just been asking him for help – you?).
- (Slide 10) Our Mighty God: The baby looked fragile, indeed King Herod thought he could get rid of him by wiping out all the male toddlers in the area. But king Herod was just a bit of dust who was brought into being through the eternal Son of God. The child who was born was not fragile at all – he is our Mighty God. That is the stunning reality of the Nativity scene; the all-powerful, creating, sustaining, sovereign King of the universe has come to save his people from their rebellion against him. He pays the price for their sin.
What a God. What might and power there is in Jesus; the one who stilled storms, and turned water into wine, and fed 5000 people with a packed lunch, and opened the eyes of the blind, the one who called Lazarus to shake off his grave clothes, the one who looked sin and death in the eye and stayed on that cross until the victory was accomplished, until he had made a public spectacle of his enemies, the one who strode out of his tomb, appeared to hundreds, who reigns on high and who one day will return in glory. That is the Mighty God who we have working in us, through us, among us and for us right now. Is that not enough light to chase away your gloomy present despair?
- (Slide 11) Our Everlasting Father: How can a little baby be an everlasting Father? God’s word isn’t somehow messing about with the 3 persons of the Trinity here – this is not saying that the child to be born will be God the Father, instead it is saying that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is born so that he can act in a fatherly way to his people now and forever. (Slide 12) I have used the picture of Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson loads of times because it shows how safe a precious child is when they have a strong and loving Father in their life. The Incarnation brings God’s fatherliness into our present reality – think of the things a good father will do; protection, love, discipline, challenge – (Slide 13) God taking on flesh and coming to dwell with us, in us and among us means that we have this fatherly care all of the time. Again, for a believer in Jesus, though at times in these shadowlands we may feel like orphans and strangers, there is never a time right here right now when we don’t have unfailing fatherly love being poured into our life. Present light in a dark world!
- (Slide 14) Our Prince of Peace: Societies and people groups have always had their champions – great warriors and leaders of the past that they look to for inspiration to cope with the present (statues, biographies etc). In Jesus we have so much more than that – (Slide 15) our Prince of Peace didn’t just win a few temporary battles that gained some passing peace in an empire that has now crumbled. Instead, our Prince of Peace won the decisive war that has established his Kingdom forever.
(Slide 16) He won the war over temptation and sin – all his life he walked into the storm of temptation, and yet he never once gave in, what a victorious Prince. Hebrews 4 puts it like this, he was; “tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin.” And because he won the war over temptation and sin, he brings peace for those who are in his kingdom, for they know that their champion has done for them what they could not do themselves. And so followers of Jesus share in this victory over temptation and sin. Yes one day in the brightest of all lights temptation and sin will be gone forever. But, walking in the present light that our Prince of Peace brings, we have escaped from the tyranny, the rule, the control of temptation and sin. We can say no to sin because of this peace, and when we do fall we have peace because we run back in confession and trust in Jesus.
(Slide 17) And Jesus won the war over death and separation from God. He has brought peace with God by and through his cleansing blood – his followers can draw near for eternity. He has smashed death to death by striding out of the tomb – his followers have eternal life that begins now. (Slide 18)
And so this peace with God can pour out and bring peace amongst humanity. With the Prince of Peace on the throne of our lives and in charge of our church, we can forgive one another, we can be kind to those who don’t deserve it, we can show grace when before all there would have been was bitterness and revenge. The hope for warring nations is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the spread of the amazing peace that it brings between God and man. Present light in a dark world.
(Slide 19) The Incarnation of Jesus Christ brings light to this world. We have already touched on some incredible truths that deserve our full meditation in the days and weeks to come. But here is one more as we finish. The light that the Incarnation brings into this world now is a forever light, an everlasting light. “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”
(Slide 20) No matter what darkness you are experiencing at the moment, suffering through terrible external circumstances or battling internal struggles and temptations, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you will not lose what is most important. You will always be safe and secure under God’s protection and care. And that is because God keeps his covenant promises, the faithful God fulfils all of his plans. Back in 2 Sam 7 David was promised an eternal ruler over the people of God, one who would do everything right all of the time - and Jesus Christ, triumphant over sin and death, is that King. Until we take our last breath in these gloomy shadowlands, God’s children can walk in the light – adopted by the Father, redeemed by the Son, transformed and sealed by the Spirit. We have a Wonderful counsellor, a Mighty God, an everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace. And then one day we will open our eyes and we will see Jesus face to face, there will only be light, the introduction will be over, and we too will begin chapter one of the real story.
Intro: The Shadowlands and the beginning of the real story
- The gloom of internal darkness
- The gloom of external darkness
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.”
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given …”
- Wonderful Counsellor
- Mighty God
- Everlasting Father
- Prince of Peace
“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”
- The fulfilment of 2 Sam 7
- Light for now, Light forever
| Questions to think more about: |
| Memory verse: Isaiah 9 v 6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
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| My own questions for later:
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