Sermon: Sunday, 21st December, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Isaiah 8:19-22 and Isaiah 9:1-7
We all love to see positive transformation. It could be a TV programme like ‘Property Ladder’ where a property developer buys a rundown house, renovates it on a tight budget before selling it on for a huge profit. Wouldn’t we all like to do that? The ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures are quite the contrast. Other programmes focus on our outward appearance. In ‘10 years younger in 10 days’, a stylist uses all her tricks to make people look far younger than they really are. Again, the ‘before’ and ‘after’ transformation is amazing. I think that the most power transformations are spiritual ones, where people who are lost and hopeless are then changed by God’s power and whose once dark lives, by God’s grace, are now full of light. John Newton is a classic example. Had you met this man before God changed him, you would meet someone who was profane, violent, exploitative and actively participated in slave trade. Even among unbelievers, Newton was known as morally reckless. But then he was converted through the slow but decisive work of God and became a pastor and theologian. It was Jesus who changed John Newton. More recently, we thought of men in villages in Mongolia who were addicted to alcohol and bringing all kinds of misery into the family home. They were changed, not by a vague higher power, but by Jesus himself, and now have restored relationships in their homes and are living to serve God and others rather than self. What a reversal of circumstances.
1. Days of darkness
Isaiah chapter 9 is all about God predicting an enormous transformation in the lives of his people in Israel. In a nutshell, those in Israel in Isaiah’s day were ‘… walking in darkness.’ (Isaiah 9:2) God provides them with wonderful and certain hope by promising that one day a great light would come to dispel the darkness. Why are things so dark for Israel? They faced a severe threat from the superpower of the day, Assyria. Rather than seeking out God’s help, the king made an alliance with Syria and wanted Judah to join them, seeing strength in numbers. But eventually, Assyria swoops down on Israel, on the areas of Zebulun, Naphtali and Galilee, devastating it, and making them provinces of Assyria. This was meant to be the ‘promised land’ but the people were so far from God and living such evil lives that the LORD allowed them to be conquered.
The last verse of chapter 8 tells us how bad things were: ‘Then they will look towards the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.’ (Isaiah 8:22) 1000s were killed and 1000s more taken away as slaves. Life in Israel appeared to be utterly hopeless. The future looked grim. It was a time of darkness, distress and war.
As we consider the reversal of Israel’s fortunes, I would like us to keep this at the front of our minds – this reversal is brought about through the work of God. ‘The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.’ (Isaiah 9:7) Only God can bring such lasting change. Why is this passage relevant to us nearly 3000 years on? Because ordinary people today can only know true spiritual transformation by the power of God. Why would we not want that? Pay attention to who brought about the change in Israel, so we can experience such change today. God’s ways do not change.
The transformation of Israel’s circumstances are described in this passage as being from darkness to light, disgrace to honour, gloom to joy, and from oppression and war to peace. The people in Isaiah’s day were in great spiritual darkness. What were they doing? They were engaging in the occult, idolatry, prostitution and materialism. They were living in God’s world, and although God had made them and provided for them, they ignored God, living instead for themselves as if God did not exist. The people were in desperate need of God’s forgiveness, God’s guidance, and God’s love. The same is true today in Fife. So many people walk in darkness. Yes, many are just trying to get on with their lives and raise their families just as we are, but because they do not know God, they do not know the true meaning of life, they do not have God’s guidance on how to live and have no hope for the future.
Imagine living in Zebulun and Naphtali in such dark times. God’s covenant promises must have seemed like hollow words. Could it get any worse? But God’s prophet Isaiah comes predicting transformation. ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…’ (Isaiah 9:2) What will this light be? Although it is written in the past tense, it is a promise about the future. It is just written in the past tense to express that the promise of hope is so certain, it is as if it has already happened.
2. The lights breaks in
Now, fast-forward 800 years to Capernaum in Israel. Jesus can be found preaching about the Kingdom of God and calling people to repent, to stop living their own way and turn to God instead. This is when the light broke into the land. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he has left Heaven and come to earth to show us how to live, to die on the cross as our Saviour and to perform miracles, to prove that he really is God who had become a real human being. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but when his ministry begins, he moves to a new area! ‘When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali – to fulfil what was said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘… and of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.’ From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ (Matthew 4:12-17)
How wonderful! This area which had been the first to experience God’s wrath through Assyrian occupation was now the first to experience the blessings of God through Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem but now teaching and preaching and pouring the light of his truth onto the people, dispelling the darkness. The former days of humiliation, being conquered and subjugated, had been replaced with honour – of all the places on the earth where Jesus might have based himself, he had chosen Galilee. Where did Jesus turn water into wine? At Cana in Galilee. This nation which had been greatly reduced through death and deportation, is now going to be ‘enlarged’. (Isaiah 9:3) Because millions and millions will come and put their trust in Jesus, people from all over the world. The former gloom has been replaced with joy. The people rejoice that God would love them so much as to come and die for them. They rejoice that their Messiah is the true king and everything Israel’s old kings ought to have been but weren’t. They rejoice because Jesus brings life in all its fulness and no one else can do that. The day of Midian (Isaiah 9:4) is the day of Gideon, when the Midianites used to oppress Israel year after year. But God sent Gideon to save them. And now God has sent a greater and permanent Saviour so that they shall no longer be oppressed. The items of war can be placed on the fire (Isaiah 9:35 for now we can enjoy lasting peace. What a transformation.
3. The source of the change
What is the root of this reversal? Why has spiritual oppression ended? It is all because of the birth of a child ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders.’ (Isaiah 9:6) Of course, this is the birth of no ordinary baby. He is the true King. This is the arrival of a royal heir – King Jesus the Messiah. True kings are supposed to provide for the needs of their people. They are supposed to protect them and give them security. The previous kings of Israel failed miserably in this regard. But where they fail, Jesus succeeds. He does not govern like politicians, often with broken promises and poor examples. He rules with integrity and love and righteousness. And best of all, he will rule forever and ever. And nothing will be able to thwart his purposes. The angel Gabriel quotes Isaiah 9 to Mary: ‘You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…’ (Luke 1:31-35)
Just how good a king is Jesus?
L Mackay: ‘So vast is the potential of the child to be born that four double descriptions have to be employed to do justice to all that he is.’
Jesus is the Wonderful Counsellor. I believe all of us would benefit from a good counsellor, because sin affects all of us and all our relationships. Our thinking can be faulty at times, and sometimes we think we can see properly when we can’t. But counselling will only work well if the counsellor gives good advice and we have the humility to follow it. We don’t want a poor counsellor who just tells us what we want to hear. Sometimes we need encouragement to keep going and sometimes we need to be redirected or challenged. Friends, there is no better guide, no one wiser than the Lord Jesus. If we come to him and trust him, he is the Good Shepherd who will lead us to green grass and still waters.
There is so much advice out there, from self-help blogs and podcasts to psychics to friends and family and even celebrities. Some of this advice will be good and some will be terrible. Not so with Jesus. He sees all things and knows all things. He sees beyond the short-term fix. There is so much confusion over basic questions concerning the meaning of life, how we should live and how we can enter Heaven. The Wonderful Counsellor will always tell us the truth through his Word. When he speaks, you can be sure it is the truth. ‘Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ (Colossians 2:3) Because of my foolishness, I need wisdom. Jesus is that wisdom.
Jesus is Mighty God. Part of the astonishing truth of Christmas is that the baby in the manger and the one who would die in shame and agony is not only 100% human but is also 100% God. This perfectly qualifies him to be our Saviour and King. Where we are weak, we can find strength in him. There is no situation beyond Jesus. There is nothing which phases him. Jairus’ servant found that out when Jairus’ daughter died and he thought there was no hope. But Jesus is Mighty God and raised her from the dead. Think of the children’s chorus: ‘My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing that he cannot do!’
If you really want to change, praying to Jesus and asking for help is the most important step you can take: ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so… we are weak but he is strong’. Let’s be honest. We all have areas of our lives that are a mess. We all have things which become more important to us than God, our idols. We can be proud and rude and self-seeking and weak in faith and love. Bring these to Jesus. He will strengthen us.
Jesus is Everlasting Father. A king was meant to be fatherly, in that he ought to exercise care and concern for his people. Jesus does that for us. He loves us with a perfect Father’s love. Do you feel unconditionally loved this morning? Place your trust in Jesus and you can have just that. What a King we have in Jesus. One who relates to us with the love a father has for his children. He is for us. He wants the best for us. There is no one more trustworthy.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The thing which spoils our peace with God is our wrongdoing- wrongdoing which offends God and left unresolved means we cannot have peace with God. But the Prince of Peace dies on the cross so that for those who trust him, that barrier of sin is removed. Our sins are washed away by his blood. Jesus was forsaken in order to win our peace. It is precious. But our peace is even wider than that aspect of it. Peace, or ‘shalom’ means total wellbeing. One day Jesus will remake this world with everything exactly as it ought to be. Then we will know peace in all its fullness. Everything will be in its right place and sin will be no more.
The child with four names: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Surely, we can say that he is the complete King and the complete Saviour and that all we could ever need is found in him. Knowing Jesus, we can be totally satisfied. He is our wisdom and strength and love and peace. Bow your knee to him today. Know transformation.