(Sunday December 03, 2023) Dr Jim McClure shares … 

Today is the first day of the season called Advent which many churches observe throughout the world. Often associated with Advent is the lighting of a candle each Sunday with a final one being lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

The lighting of the candles is not just a decorative novelty – but symbolic of light that banishes darkness.

One of the values of Advent is that it encourages us to –

• Reflect on Christmas’ spiritual significance in the midst of so many distractions and anxieties in the world.
• Remember that Christmas really has nothing to do with Santa Clause but has everything to do with the birth of Jesus.
• Read afresh John’s summary of 2000 years ago: ‘The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him’ (John 1:9-10).

Some years ago my wife Jean and I visited some caves New Zealand and as we ventured further into them with other visitors, lights along our path revealed how impressive those caves were. Then suddenly the lights were extinguished and we were enveloped with darkness so dense that it was almost tangible. How relieved we were when the lights came on again.

Even worse than physical darkness is spiritual and moral darkness. Paul referred to this where he wrote ‘Our fight is not against any physical enemy … We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil’(Ephesians 6:12JBPhillips).

Strong language indeed! A statement that stops you in your tracks! ‘… spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil.’  That’s the source of all the vile things that have been happening in the world over thousands of years and are particularly evident today.

• Advent calls us to pause and reflect on the world’s condition and to remember that God’s answer to that demonic darkness is found in the unlikely place of a stable and in the unlikely form of a newborn baby.

Isaiah 9:2,6-7 states, ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. … 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. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishingand upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.’

Those verses are very familiar and those of you who like classical music will know that in Handle’s Messiah these words are quoted to expresses the great triumph of God over the dark, demonic and destructive forces of evil.

1. The Context
What is the background of Isaiah’s statement in these verses? The kingdom of Judah had prospered during King Uzziah’s reign and the people were still living in the glow of that prosperity. But… things were changing. Isaiah lived in Judah and began his ministry in the year that Uzziah died. A few years later Ahaz became king; he was weak and ineffective, and his reign was a disaster.

While that was happening, the nation of Assyria was growing stronger, becoming an international military heavyweight and was threatening surrounding nations. About 20 years after Isaiah began his ministry in Judah, the kingdom of Israel to the north was totally crushed by the power of the Assyrian army and Judah, which was ruled over by the foolish king Ahaz, was next in Assyria’s plans.

Assyria was becoming more threatening and it was clear that an invasion of Judah was getting closer. However, many of the people in Judah wanted to convince themselves that everything would work out fine for them. Wasn’t Jerusalem the ‘City of God’ and impregnable? Wasn’t the temple and the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem? ‘She’ll be right mate’ – as Australians would say.

Nevertheless the threat of invasion was very real and cast a darkness over the people. But a darkness even greater than a military threat was embracing them – a spiritual darkness that was leading them further from God! And rather than listening to God, they were listening to fortune tellers and mediums (Isaiah 8:19).

Isaiah was telling them things they didn’t want to hear so they told him, ‘Don’t talk to us about what’s right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions. Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don’t want to hear about your holy God of Israel’ (Isaiah 30:9-11GNB).

Doesn’t this reflect much of what we see happening around us today? God is dismissed, His word scorned, truth replaced by lies, reality rejected in favour of fantasy and purity discarded to make way for perversion.

The people of Judah wanted to be told that everything would work out fine. They wanted to hear nice, comforting, nonchallenging sermons from their preacher. Instead Isaiah told them, ‘The Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the river – the king of Assyria with all his pomp’ (Isaiah 8:7). He preached that they should repent of their sins and to turn to Him. But they didn’t want to. Instead, under the corrupt leadership of King Ahaz, who sacrificed his son to a pagan god, they moved further away from God. Isaiah was preaching to a people whose light had gone out and they were not even aware of it!

As the darkness of lies, perversions and rejection of God deepened in Judah, Isaiah nevertheless prophesied that darkness would not have the final word for the light of God would ultimately triumph over the darkness.

2. The Correction
Isaiah’s prophetic word was not for his own day alone but it was also a powerful prophetic pointer to the future. God was declaring that He would not permit Satan’s dark programme to triumph.

Despite the evidence of the seemingly unstoppable invasion of darkness in his nation and in the world, Isaiah revealed that God was going to do something about it. He was given a glimpse of the future that God was preparing and discovered that God’s plans for the future – which were in sharp contrast to the gloom swamping Judah, are so amazing and so beautiful that one can barely read them without cheering.

(i) God’s Plan
‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them’(Isaiah 9:2GNB).

God’s plan was to turn the place of shadows, the place of deepest gloom, into a place blazing with light. The contrast was to be enormous – the darkness of evil would yield to the light of God and in the shadowy, secret places where wickedness lurked, the light of truth and goodness would shine.

The reality is that there is nothing that we ourselves can do that will ultimately banish the dark shadows of evil that are affecting the world. Of course, those who love God have a role to play in resisting the corruption that continues to spread through society. The words of the old negro spiritual say:

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine …
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine …
Don’t let Satan [blow] it out!
I’m going to let it shine …

That is certainly something that every person who loves God can and should do. But… individually our impact is limited. Despite the profound spiritual stature of Isaiah and the deep intimacy he had with God, and his commitment to  God, and his courage in challenging his nation to repent and turn to God, his own influence to banish the deep darkness in Judah or in the world was severely limited. This was such an enormous  problem that it was humanly impossible to resolve. But Isaiah knew that God had a plan!

(ii) God’s Person
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders’ (Isaiah 9:6).

Isaiah now reveals God’s strategy to banish that corrosive, aggressive darkness and it was so unexpected because it did not depend on an invasion of armies of angels or on a demonstration of astonishing power… but on a baby. But the responsibility placed on that coming child was quite unique. Godly authority would rest on Him alone and it was all powerful and would last forever.

Moving on 700 years from the time of Isaiah, we discover that his prophecy and God’s promise was found in a stable in Bethlehem. God’s ultimate strategy to overcome the darkness of evil that encompassed the world was first revealed as a little, helpless baby. God does indeed work in mysterious ways!

One night 2000 years ago this baby’s birth was announced to a group of stunned shepherds on a hillside and the announcement was accompanied by a blaze of glory, a choir of angels and a proclamation by an angel who said, ‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11).

John, at the beginning of his gospel, tells us that ‘Jesus is the true light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.’ 

• God’s plan for the world’s salvation from the dark forces that seek to destroy us, is found only in the person of Jesus.
• He is unique. There is no one like Him, no alternatives to Him.
• Some religious people today try to argue that all religions are essentially alike. Nothing could be further from the truth.
• There is no one with compare with Jesus! God sent Jesus to be the Light in our darkness – not Mohammed, not Buddha, not the founders of Hinduism or any other religious leader.
• Jesus is unique in every way… the responsibility resting on that coming child was quite unique and it would last forever. Only in Him do we find our salvation. In Him alone does our hope rest.

John stated in John 1:4, ‘In Him was life, and that life was the light of all people.’  Jesus is God’s answer to a world in the grip of the darkness of deceit, corruption and violence. The lights of Christmas and the Advent candles remind us that the birth of Jesus was God’s response to the darkness of the world. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’ (John 3:16-17).

(iii) God’s Portrayal
God’s portrayal of the coming Saviour is found in the descriptive names He was given –
a)  Wonderful Counsellor
A counsellor is a person who gives guidance and advice. Sadly the first advice ever given on earth was given by Satan to Eve and introduced evil and death into the world! But Jesus is the Wonderful Counsellor whose advice is always good and life giving. In Isaiah 11:2 the prophet gives more information about Him, ‘The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.’

• That is why Jesus is described as a ‘Wonderful Counsellor.’ 

b) Mighty God
Isaiah reveals that the coming Saviour was more than a man – He is Almighty God Himself and no enemy would prevail against Him. That little baby, who was born in a stable, was none other than the Lord God Almighty. There is no one like Him.

• A realisation of who Jesus really is should fill us with a sense of awe.

c)  Everlasting Father
The phrase describes the father-like character of Jesus in that He loves us, has compassion for us and cares for us. Other religions often depict their gods as violent and demanding but here we discover that the character of the coming Saviour is wholly gracious and loving.

• This description also tells us that Jesus has existed for all eternity.

d) Prince of Peace
The word ‘Prince’ refers to someone who is a commander or a ruler. The Hebrew word for peace does not just mean an absence of war but refers especially to ‘wholeness.’ Paul picks this up in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, ‘May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 

• Jesus Christ is God’s answer to a troubled and broken world.

3. The Challenge
The words Isaiah spoke 2700 years ago described a people who were depleted and weary… words that also  have a particular relevance to us today. We are living in dark days which are steadily getting darker.

Isaiah’s words to what was happening in his day could equally apply to what is happening in our day. He wrote, ‘They will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness’ (Isaiah 8:22). Israel’s sin had resulted in distress and fear and would eventually drive them into the depths of spiritual darkness.

That kind of darkness gradually increases in society until God is dismissed, His values discarded! Spiritual darkness results in spiritual blindness! That was the point Paul made in 2 Corinthians 4:4, ‘The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’ We are witnessing this same thing in our society today.

• Evil increases as goodness decreases.
• Lies  increase as truth decreases.
• Darkness increases as light decreases.
• Absurdity is declared to be reality.
• Perversion is promoted as truth.
• The Christian gospel is denounced as foolishness.
• Darkness spreads!

But there is a light – a glorious light of life. And that’s the light symbolised in Advent candles – and lights on the Christmas tree.

• The secular world may not be aware of it, but that’s what the holiday lights celebrate every Christmas!
• Those lights point to Jesus, the true Light of the world offering eternal life to all who trust in Him.
• The Light of Jesus is what each heart is longing for… even if the secular world refuses to acknowledge it.

Our challenge as Christians is to recommit to God, remain committed to Him, stay firm in our faith and strong in our witness. We need to be determined to be light-bearers pointing others to God who one day will banish all darkness in His glorious light.

Celebrate Christmas this year by recommitting yourself to Jesus… and by determining to stand firm in your relationship with Him.

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Dr Jim McClure, author of several books and Bible studies, offers them free in electronic version in EPUB, Kindle and PDF formats.

Looking for Answers in a Confusing World is particularly recommended. Questions seeking enlightenment on biblical perspectives are welcomed. Link: jbmcclure@gmail.com
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