Believe in the Child
Isaiah 9:1-7
John Nix
November 27, 2022

Advent is a reminder of Jesus’s birth and God’s promise to deliver salvation to all who BELIEVE in him. The Bible tells us that God sent his son, Jesus, into the world to save us from our sins and experience everlasting joy. In light of this, it is only fitting that this season should be a time of reflection and appreciation for the gift of grace that God has given us in His son.

God’s answer to everything that has victimized us is a child. In sending His son Jesus into the world, God gave us a precious gift—the gift of grace. By believing in Jesus and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we can receive freedom from sin through His death on the cross. As John 3:16 says, “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.” The Kingdom of Grace will forever expand under the just and righteous rule of King Jesus.

We serve an amazing God who loves us deeply and sent His Son into this world to express his love for us all. Through Jesus’s human form, we can see what it truly means to be saved by grace—to be liberated from sin by an unconditional gift that none of us deserve, yet all may receive if we simply accept it. May your heart overflow with gratitude this Advent season as you reflect on the amazing truth—that King Jesus came down from heaven not only to save us from our sins but also to bring indescribable joy into our lives.

Outline

  1. The place where you have suffered most and are at your worst is the place where God meets you for (v. 1).
  2. The shattered the darkness to end the oppression of sin and liberate the soul (v. 2).
  3. God is the source of your , and he multiplies it by the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 3).
  4. Contrary to our expectations, defeats power, and the of the Gospel outsmarts worldly wisdom (v. 4).
  5. The signal fire of God’s burns the tools of tyranny (v. 5).
  6. God’s answer to everything that has victimized us is a (v. 6).
  7. The Kingdom of Grace will forever expand under the just and righteous rule of (v. 7).
  8. God’s zeal for his and his means that every promise he ever made will be kept (v. 7).

Application

-Do you believe that God will meet you at your worst? Is your joy multiplied?

-Are you looking to Jesus for the counsel, rescue, and peace you need?

Questions:

  1. Share an experience where God met you that you had suffered.
  2. How does the theme of light and darkness play throughout scripture?
  3. What is joy? How is it different from happiness?
  4. What comes to mind when you hear the titles Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace?
  5. When did the promise of Jesus begin? (Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”)