Thy Kingdom Come - 1
Isaiah 9 (TNIV)
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as soldiers rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 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 Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Matthew 4(TNIV)
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 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.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Questions for Further Reflection:
Where are the dark places in your own experience right now where you need to allow the light brings to shine?
As you think about this season that gives us opportunity to reflect on the power of the seemingly small and unexpected "light" to shine in dark places, can you think of places where you can see light breaking in?
Can you think of places (maybe not so different from Nazareth) where light could be breaking in, if someone perhaps were willing to go there?
Take a few moments to just sit with the passages of scripture and what they record. What "light" do you provide?
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:5 (NIV)Because getting around in the dark can be so challenging for us, we might at times be tempted to think that "darkness" is something that is against us. The truth is that "darkness" really is not anything at all. Rather, it is the absence of something. Darkness is what we experience when we do not have light. As soon as there is light, darkness is revealed for what it really is - nothing. That's not to say there are not things out there that you can't see when there is no light - that can be dangerous or even hostile, but rather that light is what reveals things for what they really are so we don't have to crash into them. And often it doesn't take flood lights for us to be able to see (in fact, they can end up blinding us). Sometimes seemingly small lights in surprising places is all that it takes.
Using the story of Gideon as an example, Pastor Jon invites us to consider what it like when God shatters darkness with light. It is an image of God acting in unusual, unexpected ways. Who would have thought that Gideon's army would prevail given their numbers and the size of the army they faced? Who would have thought that the military imagery used in the first few verses of Isaiah 9 would so quickly give way to the reign of peace that is described just a few verses later. As in Gideon's case, it was not the size or skill of the army that brought about peace, but God did it in His own, unexpected way. A seemingly small light shining in a dark place.
And then when we move to Matthew 4 . . . Who would have thought that in such an unlikely place as Nazareth, Galilee of the Gentiles, that God would cause light to shine in such unexpected but profound ways?
From the prophetic foreshadowing of Isaiah, to the record that Matthew leaves us (see passages to the right) we catch a glimpse of how God caused light to shine in the darkness
That is what Pastor Jon invites us to reflect upon. If you would like to listen to the sermon again, or perhaps for the first time, click here to access our sermon library.