His Ministry - March 27, 2019 - Lent Mid-week 4 - Text: Isaiah 9:1-2

Our text for today is from Isaiah chapter nine, 1But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone (Isaiah 9:1-2). This is our text.
 

Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Last week we looked at the place of Jesus’ birth as well as God’s perfect timing, including all the social and political aspects of God’s perfect timing. Today we move ahead to look at the prophecies and fulfillment concerning Jesus’ earthly ministry.
 

Isaiah prophecies, “1But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:1-2). In this prophecy we are given the where, the when, the who and the what.
 

The where of Jesus work would be in “the Land of Zebulun and Naphtali.” The “land of Zebulun and Naphtali” were the area around the sea of Galilee the area where Jesus lived and traveled, where He did His signs, wonders and miracles. Indeed, the Land of Zebulun and Naphtili would and did see the Savior.
 

Continuing on, “the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations” would be the further regions where Jesus would live and travel, where He would do His signs, wonders and miracles. This also would be the region where the people would and did see the Savior.
 

The when of Jesus would be at just the right time. The when of Jesus would be when the people were walking in the darkness of sin and unbelief, which most certainly could describe all earthly eras and times, but for Isaiah this was especially the time of the Romans. While the children of Israel had moved back into the promised land and while the temple had been rebuilt they were still under Roman rule. Some of those sitting in darkness were still seeking the Savior promised in Eden, a spiritual sin forgiving Savior.
 

However, there were many other people who were walking in the darkness of sin and unbelief seeking a social/political Savior. There were many who were looking for a Savior to overthrow the Roman government, many like the Pharisees who thought they should be the rulers in Israel, which is why they did not see Jesus as the Savior they were seeking. The when of Jesus was the time of greatest need for the people, the greatest spiritual need.
 

The who of Jesus is Jesus. Jesus is the Light of the world. Jesus is a light that shines in the darkness exposing sin for what it is, sin. Even though we see news bits of brazen crime committed in broad daylight today, most criminal activity occurs in the night, under the cover of darkness so as not to be seen. Jesus is the Light of the world shining through the darkness and exposing sin and unbelief.
 

Jesus is the Light of the world, a light bringing healing. Jesus is true God in human flesh and although He did not always nor fully use His Divine attributes He did use His divine power to some degree. He showed His Divinity in His healing sick people, in His casting out demons, in His feeding thousands, in His controlling the wind and storms. Indeed, it was the signs, wonders and miracles He performed that showed that He was truly Divine, truly God in flesh as only God could do the things He did.
 

Jesus is the Light of the world, a light bringing good news. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus calling people to repent. Jesus came bringing the good news of salvation. Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill the Law. Jesus was completely obedient to the Law fulfilling all the ceremonial laws that pointed to Him so that they became obsolete. He came tearing the curtain in the temple that separated man from God so that we might go to Him directly.
 

Jesus is the Light of the world, a light bringing forgiveness. Our greatest need is forgiveness of sins. Without forgiveness we would be left in our sin and would be eternally condemned. Jesus brought forgiveness by paying the price for our sins, death, His life in death for us in our place.
 

The what of Jesus is that He was true God in human flesh. He showed His Divinity, that He was true God by doing signs, wonders and miracles. No other human being, no plain human being could do what Jesus did because as humans we cannot do signs, wonders and miracles. Jesus showed that He could forgive sins because He used the logic of the Pharisees against them. Remember, when Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven the Pharisees were upset calling Jesus a blasphemer because only God can forgive sins. To show them that He was God, He healed the man, which only God can do. Of course their response was not belief but revenge.
 

Jesus was true God, perfect and holy. Jesus had to be true God in order to be perfect and holy. Remember God’s demand is our perfection and we cannot be perfect. In order for Jesus to come as our substitute He had to be born in perfection, thus He had to be God.
 

Jesus was true man, born of a woman. He showed His humanness in His living, in His being tired and sleepy, in the fact that He ate and drank because He was hungry and thirsty. He was sad and even cried when His friend Lazarus had died. Jesus was true man and He had to be truly human in order to be our substitute. He would not be able to trade His life, suffering and death for us if He were not truly human. Remember, the price for sin that was set in the Garden of Eden was death, human death for human sin. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament simply reminded the people that the price for sin was death and pointed to the one ultimate death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Jesus Himself.
 

Thus, Isaiah points us to Jesus. Jesus, God in flesh, lived perfectly, obeyed all of God’s laws and commands perfectly, took our sins, all our sins, our sins of omission and commission, our sins of thought, word and deed, and He paid the price for those sins. He suffered for all sin paying the price for all sin, for the sins of all people of all places of all times and He died. Jesus lived the perfect life. He suffered the perfect death. He died the perfect death, but as we know death and the grave had no hold over Him because on the third day He rose from the dead, defeating sin, death and the devil. His was a perfect resurrection.
 

We might say that Jesus practiced what He preached for us giving us faith, forgiveness and life. Jesus took up John’s call to repent and believe in the Savior. Jesus lived a life demonstrating that He was and is the Savior. Jesus preached of forgiveness of sin, and of forgiveness through death, His own death.
 

As we continue on through this Lenten Season we continue to point to Jesus. We are reminded of all the prophecies of the Old Testament that pointed to Jesus and as we read and hear of the history of Jesus we know that He is the One who fulfilled all those prophecies. How can we come to any conclusion except that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the Christ. Thus, we are reminded of our part in this history, that is that although it was through Adam and Eve that sin first entered into the world, we too are accountable for our own sin and our own part in Jesus life and death. It was because of me and my sin that Jesus came to earth. And, yes, even if I were the only person in the world, God loves me so much that He would have sent Jesus to give His life for me. And we rejoice that as we look back we do know the whole story, that we worship a living God. Jesus died, but He also rose, He has ascended and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is watching over us, ruling over us, and interceding for us, and yet, He is also always everywhere present so we know He is always right here with us. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.