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Rev. Ronald C. Purkey claims no originality for this Bible study outline.
However,
every Bible study posted on this website has been taught by Rev. Purkey.
To see more Bible study outlines go
to page two: More
Bible Study Outlines.
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HOPE IN SPITE OF DARKNESS
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 9:2-7
KEY
VERSE: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
INTRODUCTION: This chapter is
one with which Christians are generally familiar because of the prophecy
concerning the coming Child, who is Jesus Christ. Handel’s use of this chapter
in The Messiah has added to the familiarity of the church with this
particular passage.
I
am always thrilled when I listen to a presentation of Handel’s The Messiah,
especially when they sing, “And his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Let’s
look at this chapter. Remember, the message
is that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord.
I. THE MESSIAH TURNS DARKNESS INTO LIGHT.
(Isaiah 9:2-5)
A.
The Dispelling Of Darkness. (Isaiah 9:2)
(Isaiah 9:2) The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined.
In
God’s dealings with sinful man He tempers justice with mercy. Israel is to pass
through the darkness of national disaster. But hope lies beyond the bleak
horizon. God has given to Israel (and to you and me) a Savior, Jesus Christ the
Lord.
1.
Spiritual Blindness. (Isaiah 9:2a)
People without Christ walk in darkness. They are blinded by Satan and walk in darkness. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them” (II Corinthians 4:3-4).
2.
Spiritual Despair. (Isaiah 9:2b)
People
without Christ live in the “land of the
shadow of death.” The people of Isaiah’s day were in a deplorable state of
existence. For example, they were “walking
in darkness” and “living in the land of the shadow of death” (Isaiah 9:2). They were
burdened by sin and rebellion.
3. Spiritual Light. (Isaiah 9:2c)
People
without Christ have been given a great light. The result can be a complete
reversal of the people’s deplorable condition. Faith comes by hearing and
believing God’s Word.
When
the Lord Jesus began His ministry in that area, the people saw a great light.
They saw the Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I
am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall
not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). This
was fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus Christ.
The glitter of
bright decorations, the sound of joyous Christmas carols, the happy children,
and the cheerful "Merry Christmas" greetings sometimes give the
impression that everybody is glad that Jesus came to our planet. But that isn't
true today, and it never was.
The news of
Jesus' birth evoked a mixed reaction. The wise men joyfully welcomed and
worshiped the Savior (Matthew 2:10-11). But King Herod was so troubled when he
heard about it that he tried to find and kill the baby Jesus (vv.3-4,16). Most people, however, were unaware of the significance
of what had happened.
Still today,
multitudes honor Jesus and rejoice in their salvation. But many others hate
Him. They grumble about the singing of Christmas carols in shopping malls and
the display of nativity scenes in public places. Others are apathetic. They go
along with the celebration of the season. They may join in singing Christmas
carols, but they never ask themselves who Jesus is or why He came. They don't
think of their need to believe on Him and receive Him as their Savior.
Are you among
the indifferent? To ignore Him and His claims is to reject Him. Christmas
demands a decision about Christ. The choice is yours. – Herbert Vander Lugt, Our Daily Bread
B.
The Reason To Be Joyful. (Isaiah 9:3-5)
The
joy of deliverance is portrayed in imagery of harvest and of military victory
in Isaiah’s song of thanksgiving to celebrate God’s action on behalf of His
people. Our God will bring a mighty victory to His people Israel despite their
weakness and helplessness. Clearly no king of Israel ever fulfilled these
hopes.
1.
Anguish Will Be Replaced By Joy. (Isaiah 9:3)
(Isaiah
9:3) Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased
the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men
rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Instead
of decreasing the nation by judgment so that only a remnant was left, the
Messiah’s coming would bless and enlarge the nation. Their joy would be as much
as farmers have at harvest time or soldiers have when dividing the plunder of a
conquered foe. Further joy would come from deliverance and disarmament. God
promised to break the chains that bound His people and the whip that scourged
them, and bring an end to war.
2.
The Heavy Yoke Of Affliction Will Be Broken. (Isaiah 9:4)
a.
The Time. (Isaiah 9:4)
(Isaiah
9:4) For thou hast broken the yoke of his
burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day
of Midian.
When
will the burden be broken? It will be broken when Christ comes again. Why is it
that Israel today cannot enjoy peace? Why are they plagued along every border?
They are having all this trouble because they rejected, the only One who can
bring peace, their own Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The power of the
oppressor will not be broken until the Lord comes the second time.
b.
The Savior. (Isaiah 9:4)
(Isaiah
9:4) For thou hast broken the yoke of his
burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day
of Midian.
What
a sad thing it was when those fine young Jewish athletes were killed during the
Olympic Games in Munich a number of years ago. They were murdered by
terrorists; and, when their bodies were sent back to Israel, their loved ones
and the whole nation mourned. What is in back of all this? Israel has a Messiah
whom Israel has rejected. He is the Prince of Peace, and He is the only One who
can bring peace to this troubled and persecuted people.
While
these verses complete the thought of verse 3, they also look beyond the
immediate time to the Great Tribulation Period which is coming in the future.
Remember,
Jesus Christ is both Savior and Lord! Now we see the prediction of Israel’s
coming Messiah.
3.
The Military Power Of Israel’s Enemies Will Be
Consumed. (Isaiah 9:5)
(Isaiah
9:5) For every battle of the warrior is with confused
noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of
fire.
There
will be no use for clothing of war in Christ’s millennial kingdom. In that day
of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Also, uniforms will never again
be bloodstained by war. In fact, all such equipment will be burned.
The Joy in Bethlehem
Isaiah’s description of the people
rejoicing at the Messiah’s coming (Isaiah 9:3) is borne out in the Christmas
story. The Magi rejoiced at the sight of the star (Matt. 2:10), and the angels
brought news of “great joy” (Luke 2:10) to the shepherds, who rejoiced at
seeing God’s gift to the world with their own eyes (vs. 20). -- Author Unknown
II. THE MESSIAH REIGNS WITH JUSTICE. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
In
the fullness of time a Son would be born – a love-gift from God to His people.
Be certain that you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Deliverer from
sin and death.
A. Jesus Christ Was The Child That Was Born, The Son That Was
Given. (Isaiah 9:6a)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given… (Isaiah 9:6a)
The
First Advent is described in verse 6a: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son
is given.” The first clause speaks of His humanity, the second of
His deity.
Jesus
Christ was born of a woman: the virgin
birth. Jesus Christ was given by
God the Father to die for us on the cross of Calvary. (John 3:16)
B. Jesus Christ’s Government Shall Be Upon
His Shoulder. (Isaiah 9:6b)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder… (Isaiah 9:6b)
The
next part of the verse points forward to the Second Advent: “the
government will be upon His shoulder” — He will reign as King of
kings and Lord of lords. The rest of the verse describes His personal
glories.
C. Jesus Christ’s Name Shall Be Called. (Isaiah 9:6)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
1.
“Wonderful” (the wondrous God-man)
(Isaiah 9:6c)
2.
“Counsellor.” (the source of all true wisdom) (Isaiah
9:6d)
3.
“The mighty God.” (omnipotent deity) (Isaiah 9:6e)
4.
“The everlasting Father.” (Father of Eternity (Hebrew).
Eternally one with the other persons of
the trinity) (Isaiah 9:6f)
5.
“The Prince of Peace” (He will bring
peace to the relationship between people and God and to their relationship with
each other.) (Isaiah 9:6g)
D. Jesus Christ’s Kingdom Will Continually Grow, And There Will
Be No End To The Peace He Will Bring. (Isaiah 9:7)
(Isaiah
9:7) Of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The
reign of King Jesus, the Messiah,
will be characterized by peace. His government will be ever expanding and never
ending. Fairness and justice will distinguish His rule. His passionate
commitment for His people Israel will guarantee that all the divine promises to
Israel will all be fulfilled.
The Lord Jesus Christ
"Meaning no disrespect to the
religious convictions of others, I still can't help wondering how we can
explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in
history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put
to death by crucifixion. Where...is the miracle I spoke of? Well consider this
and let your imagination translate the story into our own time -- possibly to
your own hometown.
A young man whose father is a carpenter
grows up working in his father's shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks
out of his father's shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the
nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even
though he is not an ordained minister. He never gets farther than an area
perhaps 100 miles wide at the most. He does this for three years. Then he is
arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed
at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll
dice to see who gets his clothing -- the only possessions he has. His family
cannot afford a burial place for him so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.
End of story? No, this uneducated, property
less young man who...left no written word has, for 2,000 years, had a greater
effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors; all the conquerors,
generals and admirals; all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who have
ever lived -- all of them put together. How do we explain that? ...[U]nless he really was what he
said he was." -- President Ronald Reagan, Source:
http://www.earstohear.net/Heritage/RonaldReagan.html
CONCLUSION:
The Christ (i.e., the Messiah) was born in Bethlehem and will one day rule from David’s
throne. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. The government of the Davidic throne
will be His heritage. His kingdom will be universal, peaceful, just, righteous,
and eternal. At the end of the Great Tribulation Jesus Christ will indeed
return to reign in majesty and glory.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “If you want joy, real
joy, wonderful joy, take Jesus into your heart.”
While walking
home from a church service in Southampton, England, 20-year-old Isaac Watts
told his father that the metrical psalms sung at their services lacked the
dignity and beauty that should characterize hymns used in worship. His father
encouraged him to try to create something better. So in the year 1694, Isaac
Watts began writing hymns, and eventually put the book of Psalms into rhyming
meter for worship.
Watts took the
prophetic references to the coming Messiah in the Psalms and expressed them in
their New Testament fulfillment. His hymns proclaimed that Jesus Christ is
Savior and Lord. When Watts came to Psalm 98, he wrote:
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
This hymn has
become a favorite of the Christmas season. It calls us to acknowledge Christ as
Savior and King, and to open our hearts to His rule of love and grace.
The psalmist
wrote, "Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!" (Psalm 98:1). Isaac Watts
did just that in his proclamation that Christ has come, and we can rejoice in
Him. – David C. McCasland, Our Daily Bread
REFERENCES:
References used in the Bible study are the King James Bible (KJV), the Scofield
Study Bible, the Believer’s Bible Commentary, Charles J. Woodbridge Bible
Outlines, Lee Roberson’s Sermons, Don Robinson’s Bible Outlines, Women’s Study
Bible, The Bible Reader’s Companion Ed. 3, The Nelson Study Bible: New King
James Version, KJV Bible Commentary, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee,
Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the New Testament ed. 4, Cliff Robinson’s
Bible Outlines, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the Old Testament, With the
Word Bible Commentary, Wiersbe’s “Be” Series: Old & New Testaments,
selected illustrations, and other references.
E-Mail: Ronald Purkey
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