Isaiah 9:1-7, The Tipping Point

Isaiah chapter 9 beginning from verses 1 to 7 hear the word of the Lord But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish in the former time

He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun in 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 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light

Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shined

You have multiplied the nation you have increased its joy They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest as they are glad when they divide the spoil

For the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder the rod of his oppressor You have broken as on the day of Midian for every boot of the trampling of the tramping warrior in Battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire

For to us a child is born To us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty

God everlasting father Prince of peace of the increase of his government and a peace

There will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it

With justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore the zeal of the

Lord of hosts Will do this May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his

Holy Word Well, it's beginning to look like a lot like Christmas as they say.

I was one of those that complained and I guess I should just stop doing it because it's a waste of time complained about how

Christmas season seems to be starting earlier and earlier. It's just a losing battle Just give up I mean soon we'll be right after the 4th of July But and now it seems like it starts right after Halloween with only an interruption for Thanksgiving If even that which

Thanksgiving sadly now is becoming consumed by Christmas shopping. I remember when The term

Black Friday didn't exist and then when it was a new term You know kind of symbolized, you know we're all gathered together for Halloween and then why don't we go out shopping the day after just for something to do and now it's

Eclipsing Thanksgiving itself now, how did that how did that come about? What changed what we've seen a lot of change in our culture over the last generation now, how does change come?

What makes a society change we usually think it evolves slowly kind of one step at a time

But in the year 2000 man named by the name of Malcolm Gladwell published a best -selling book made a big splash

Entitled tipping point how little things make and make a big difference now His main point was that big social changes really are not gradual.

He wrote that changes often come suddenly Now they may have been building for a while Like the way a volcano may be building rumbling and then they'll suddenly explodes or maybe like what happens

And this is where he gets the title for his book if you put marble You know where he's old -fashioned scales on one side There's like the weight on one side and maybe you put marbles on one side of the scale

Imagine that doing that and you can put marbles on the ones that one side for a long time and nothing will happen and then suddenly

It reaches the tipping point and then it tips as though as the weight of the marbles

You've been putting marbles on outweighs the other side He wrote quote that the tipping point is that magic moment when an idea a trend or social behavior crosses a threshold and Spreads like wildfire

One example, I think is what we've been looking at in Sunday school is the Protestant Reformation now in church history there were a lot of calls for Reformation movements to try to reform the church and More than a century before Martin Luther came around But something about his nailing the 95 thesis to the church door in Wittenberg is is very aggressive

Punchy personality and writing and of course the printing press that helped spread it and then the then his here

I stand Stand was the tipping point bringing up through bringing about the the breakthrough of the

Reformation Gladwell wrote that quote that a single act of courage is often the tipping point for extraordinary change

I think Rosa Parks refusal to go to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama to submit to the segregation

Was an act of courage that was a tipping point Another example,

I think could be Christmas itself Now we have this idea and now that Christmas is kind of this ancient tradition.

That's that's been passed down to us Unchanged over the millennia, but the fact is that Christmas has gone through many ups and downs since the 5th century

When it was used to replace a pagan festival really didn't even hardly exist before that's like 400 years up to Christ So it's not like there's this ancient church tradition

It really wasn't but by the middle of the 19th century after all kinds of ups and downs it was on the verge of either coming or going of being kind of some people disapproved of it and some you know others it was just a

Festival time it was on the verge of becoming unpopular in an industrial age you know capitalists looking on it is inefficient an excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December and Then along came

Charles Dickens a Christmas carol and now with a movie put out about him called the man who invented

Christmas Now Dickens didn't really invent Christmas, but he did provide I think the tipping point

That made it a popular holiday once again It made it a holiday to be something more than just a pagan festival

But something you know time to remember the poor like cratchits, you know Tiny Tim that they the poor shouldn't be left up to prisons and you know

Cold government institutions that life was worth more than just making money or holding on to every cent you can you know?

Having your meal some kind of cool thin gruel and huddling up in a blanket and Unheated room because you're just too stingy to put a any coal on the fire, but but Dickens Generous kind of joyous Christmas is different.

Isn't it? Isn't it different than that than the then they kind of stuff centered Self -indulgent holiday we now have something along the way.

I think I Don't know where I don't love enough about the history of it. I don't know what did it but something else

Seems to have tipped Christmas into being something. I think if Dickens were with us today, he would probably write another book

Mocking just like he wrote a Christmas carol to mock all the disapproval the stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's He probably write another book today mocking this this

Consumerist holiday is so hungry for things that is nearly devoured that other holiday

It's about giving thanks For all the things we already have What changed?

Well here in these seven verses we see change and we see the tipping point what has already caused we see here in this passage what has already caused an

Enormous amount of change in our lives and in the world and will eventually change everything and We see that here in three major parts first the contrast

Second the causes and third the consequences Now what first is the contrast now?

this chapter is as familiar as some of its verses are flows directly out of the last chapter as Unfamiliar as that was if you remember last week chapter

Isaiah chapter 8. That's just like What is this? How do you make any sense of this? But it's so connected this chapter is so connected with chapter 8

Christians and Jews are disagree about where chapter 8 ends and chapter 9 begins

Because there's nearly no break here between chapter 8 and chapter 9 as you can see from the first word of chapter 9 in our

Bibles but you don't properly begin a paragraph or Chapter with but you know if you're a student if you're in school and English composition

You began a paragraph with but teacher probably was circling red. You don't begin. You know, that's not right Because but is a conjunction whose function it is to show a contrast

The remember if you remember the end of chapter 8 from last week it is very very gloomily with a lot of Gloom that there was there's rage.

There's hunger. There's distress. There's Darkness, there's anguish There's gloom

Now when when he says at the end of chapter 8 when people do not follow God's ways when they don't listen to him

God seals his word So they can't understand it and they're taken away from God's presence

Just like the Israelites were literally dragged out of the promised land gone into exile If today you don't listen to God's Word you are dragged off to be conformed to the world to be just like it and so the

Situation today we have the situation today. We're professed not real. I don't think but professed

Christians evangelical you would call themselves evangelical Christians have the same levels of sexual immorality and divorce as The world around them.

They've been dragged off into exile. They're being conformed. So they're hopeless. They're enraged They speak sarcastically then bitterly and this is like a mark of our culture, isn't it?

Contemptuously again, especially against authorities, you know against their boss their husband the president whoever they don't they don't know

What Thanksgiving is about really it makes no sense to them because they're not thankful But getting a slightly better deal on a widescreen

TV now that makes sense So they love Black Friday, so they have a gloomy future because it's all about stuff that's gonna fall apart one day and including in their body is gonna fall apart one day and They face the anguish of fading health as they will be thrust into dark hopeless

Pleasureless future that ends with nothing at least nothing for them That's the way chapter 8 ends

And if you could sum up their whole life in one word It would be gloom

That's chapter 8 but chapter 9 begins

It's contrast something new on the one hand for those who look to the world There's gloom but on the other hand notice first one there will be no gloom a radical change

There will be no gloom for her who was Past tense notice that who was in anguish no gloom anymore

No anguish anymore for those who were in chapter 8 remember they were up to their necks in distress for the remnant

For those who were you know in the words of Isaiah's first son remember his remember his name he was named

The remnant will return the remnant the few leftover survivors. They will return to the promised land to the

Lord For those there was past tense there was gloom there was only the wrath of God through the law, but God has now manifested his righteousness using

Paul's words from Romans There was no inheriting the kingdom of God for them from Paul in first Corinthians 6 6 for the for the there's no

Inheriting the kingdom of God for them because they were they were immoral. They were idolaters. They were greedy. They were revilers and so on but Contrast You were washed but you were sanctified made holy, but You were justified made righteous now sure in the former times in verse 1 in the past previously

Paul's terms first 156 such were some of you Here's the contrast between the former times the things the way things were the distress and the gloom and the anguish

Experience in those former times in the former times this remnant had tasted He says they had had contempt or the word there could be literally be they were degraded

They were living a contemptuous life. They were they were brought down Degraded like the prodigal son remember how degraded he was degraded in a foreign land

Where where the best he could do was get a job feeding pigs and the best he could eat was the pig slop

This you know the stuff that he gave to the pigs he that's that was his food. That's big degraded That's tasting contempt.

So his Israel here has been degraded now literally in their history What was going on is the

Assyrians had invaded up in the northern part of their country about the year 733 BC and occupied the land

Around the Sea of Galilee What we now call just Galilee the land there and the territory and that territory belonged to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali So you see the mentioned here of their land?

That's why they dwell in darkness because they are now currently being occupied by this foreign power these these

Gentile pagan Assyrians They're under their control now instead of being part of Israel was where they belong

So but think how degrading it is for a kingdom to have part of its land just taken away and there's nothing they can do

About it. We think I've degraded we would feel as Americans If just Mexico came and just took Texas or California and there's nothing we could do about it

We just we didn't have the strength. We didn't have the power. We didn't our army couldn't match there. We would feel degraded That's the situation they're in here

Now sometimes God's people still today When they fear what the world fears around them

When they look to the world for their hope rather than fearing the Lord they become just as much about About money just as much about pleasure

You know They got to have the boat so they could go to the lake on the weekends and put they put the kids on traveling teams On weekends and if that means missing church, well, that's just too bad

Or they got to make the money and so they got to work on Sunday morning Maybe they got to keep the shop open on Sunday mornings.

And if they if they miss church, well, we'll just have to do it We got to make the money. That's the priority for them

And they may call themselves Christians and then they get a taste of what that does to them Or their children they get the contempt of the world.

They get degraded like the world they get the same divorces They get the same kids getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant young and unmarried the same greed

That makes for greedy kids and guess what you were so greedy You you had to work every

Sunday morning or you had to keep the shop open The kids learned that greed and guess what they just can't wait for you to die so they can get their hands on your money

That's degrading, isn't it? Wouldn't be degrading to have kids who just looking at you is when will you knock the keel over so I can get your stuff?

They get degraded then they get anguish But that's chapter 8. This is chapter 9.

This is a much happier chapter, but here's a contrast. Here's a change but It doesn't end with degradation such were some of you but God brought a change

And now maybe the way things were maybe year after year before Earlier and former times you heard the word you heard preaching you sometimes read the

Bible But you never put it into practice You didn't seek first the kingdom of God you got degraded but suddenly something happens

You reach a tipping point The tipping point is that dramatic moment when might be little causes little from our point of view sometimes maybe just maybe just a taste of little degradation that the

Lord lets us have Or maybe a little maybe just a verse here verse there something we hear you know from someone sharing a

Word that the Holy Spirit comes and uses that to tip you over You finally are propelled to seek radical change the kingdom of God to seek that first so the contrast but in the latter times

That the times Ladder should be this way. Sorry my hand gestures don't match my words ladder means the future.

This is former. This is ladder Okay, I gotta remind myself, but in the latter times, that's the times to come from Isaiah's perspective

Remember, he's writing about 733 BC sometime like that But in the latter times from his perspective we could say maybe in the last days

What he earlier in the book of Isaiah called that day The day of the Lord and there was in the times that the

Lord is bringing after the tipping the change that makes for a contrast then

There will be no more gloom There will be glory So we're going from gloom to glory now here the the way of the sea a big lake up there the land beyond the

Jordan east of around the Lake of Galilee what we now call Galilee that territory recently annexed occupied and annexed by the mighty

Assyrian Empire Now that area is oppressed by this pagan foreign power

Galilee Notice now is called he calls it in Galilee of the Gentiles.

Okay be like us calling Texas of the Mexicans It's not wait That's just all right, but Galilee belongs to Israel Because they're occupying it because they've been degraded now they're suffering gloom

Because the Gentiles the Assyrians have taken over But then in the latter times the times to come glory particularly

Galilee itself That territory that that will see glory Something's coming up there glory

And notice an interesting thing an important thing about the grammar and sometimes you don't think grammar

That's not interesting or important. But here it is and this latter future times in verse 1 now we would expect

Okay, if you understand what he's what he's saying here We would kind of expect Isaiah to say, you know in the former or past times the

Lord brought gloom for Galilee but in the latter times he will future tense bring glory

That's what we would kind of expect him to say because that's what's that's what he's communicating. Why would he?

Say it any differently that but he says notice notice there in chapter verse 1 in the latter times

So the times that are to come in the future He the Lord Has made past tense

Perfect tense. That just sounds odd, doesn't it? What if I said to you, you know? In your in years to come the

Lord has made you glorious But that's what he says

Showing a past completed action about something that's in the future

How do you why do you do that? The latter times our future. How can they be spoken of as past and it was as done as if they are already history

Because it's as good as done it is certain It is decreed by the king to happen.

It was decreed in the past and the decree

Will most certainly make it happen So it's declared as accomplished even centuries

Before it was actually displayed in history centuries before Galilee actually saw a great light

But before it saw glory here Isaiah speak to them. They've already might as well already say they see them

Before we reach the tipping point. It was declared that the Lord has made Glorious Galilee that is still actually in his time oppressed by the

Gentiles before we've been made glorious Thank you for us before we've been made glorious.

Oh, it's right now While we still struggle with sin realistically, we all do we still struggle with sin and the flesh

Sometimes we still have gloom in our lives. We're made gloomy by a mortal body that is fading away

That's that's right. Now. That's the actual facts of our life right now But right now God has already declared and in Romans chapter 8 verse 30

Has already declared we have been glorified because the fact of its happening

Depends not on us but depends on his passionate commitment to make it happen his decree

And so it's as good as done Now that way of speaking in past tense about future events

Just spills over into the next two verses two verses two and three now remember Galilee is oppressed That's just the actual facts on the ground at this time in verse two.

They walk in darkness. That's the way they are right now They're under a Syrian rule oppression. Isaiah says they have seen as it passed a great light

They haven't really seen it yet, but they're still living and they're still living in the darkness of a Syrian rule But it is so certain we can say they have seen it like when slaves in America, you know, there was a time

Time of a year or so when they knew that their freedom was certain Emancipation proclamation had been declared.

The United States had won the Battle of Gettysburg The end was really it wasn't in doubt

It just hadn't come about yet and their experience now here the Lord speaks that the end is certain

They have people got what they have seen past tense a great light that in Isaiah's day.

They they hadn't seen yet They still dwell in deep darkness Even though from God's point of view the light has again past the perfect tense has shined

God has decreed that of all places It will be

Galilee Where the most light? Will dawn where Emmanuel will spend most of his ministry

And it's as good as done even 700 years before it actually happened Now before in chapter 7 in the former times

Which we're still in here in Isaiah's time now we're kind of in both but The remnant left over remember that remember that they were so few

He said in chapter 7 you could feed them all with one cow and a couple of sheep But by contrast in the latter times in the future you speaking to God he says in verse 3 that you have multiplied

Again past tense about actually something that's still in the future. You multiplied the nation the people of God you've made them as many as the stars of the sky the sand of the seashore

That kind of thing the Lord has expanded the number of his people by decree Even if Isaiah hasn't seen it yet.

He can speak of it as done and in the former times that they're still in here in Isaiah They have distress and gloom but in the latter times to come by contrast

You Lord have the end past tense figure but as if something that's coming you have increased its joy so now even in these former times

They rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest The harvest has come even though it actually hasn't quite come yet And as they are glad as people are glad when they divide the spoil

Even though they don't really have spoiled to divide yet, but the contrast is between gloom and gladness

Even now even now for us. Yeah, we still have some gloom We do but there is also gladness as Jesus himself rejoiced before the father and prayed

I thank you father Lord of heaven and earth you hidden these things the secrets of the kingdom of God from the wise and understanding and you've revealed them to His followers of his little children

Yes father for such was your gracious will That's gladness there

So there is a contrast from darkness to light from just distress to joy from gloom to glory and gladness

But we still haven't been told we will have a bit. That's that's what's gonna happen We still haven't been told what will make for this radical change.

In other words, what's the tipping point? See what it does what's what what's the tipping point what takes us from gloom to glory?

Well, well how now from God's point of view do these oppressed people how do they have spoil?

That which means but only victors have spoil, but they're oppressed. How are they going to get spoiled? So we have the causes

Explain that three causes In verses four to six each verse has one three major causes freedom fire and the four names

First in verse four freedom says it starts with four onwards because we have this contrast from gloom to glory and gladness because The signals now why we have joy because the yoke of his burden

In other words the oppression of the oppressor Like like the yoke is restraining piece of wood that they would put on an ox to control it

They that's been put on them the people of Israel by the Syrians to control them that the staff for his shoulder whether it's like the

King's staff a scepter the symbol of Rule that now their enemies were ruling over them in control of them the rod of his oppressor

That's the weapon they use for, you know beating into submission or a rod for hitting people you the

Lord have Broken all these things broken that yoke broken that scepter broken that rod

Again, notice his past tense, even though They haven't quite experienced yet, but it's like he says it's like get when

Gideon defeated the Midianites Also was up there in the land of Galilee. He brought freedom and It's it's come freedoms coming the tipping point came when the

Lord Set his people free From his enemies when the

Lord Jesus came he said, you know, remember he said what his disciples went out Disciples out and he declared about the impact of his ministry

Through his disciples through the Apostles through the church. I saw Jesus said

Satan fall from heaven like lightning He saw it.

It was done already the kingdom of God can now spread He said because the strong man has been bound we can spoil his house.

How do you get spoiled? Well, Jesus has enabled us to get it We can tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy we can

Paul writes at the in first I know in Colossians that the that God has rescued us from the

Dominion from the oppression from the yoke of Darkness and brought us and to the light to the gladness of the kingdom of his

Son We've been set free Well second and verse 5 there's the fire

Again, it also begins for Again, this is the reason but for the contrast from going from darkness to light from gloom to glory

It is because the the fire of God's judgment fires for judgment has consumed here literally in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 5 is consumed all the military hardware of their enemies their oppressors

All the things that the enemy uses to oppress God's people Will be now its future.

It will be burned up as fuel for the fire Now first literally he says their boots will be burned up every garment stained with with blood in battle

They've gone into battle. This is the soldiers their uniforms We'd call them that will go up in flames all their hardware all their stuff of our oppressors

Then God's judgment will devour everything Used against God's people the works for an app for us the works of the world the flesh

The greed that makes us live for money the materialism that makes us turn Christmas into an excuse to get an iPhone 10

The sexual immorality that tells us that we can follow our flesh suffer. No consequences all of that Will be burned up the fire of God's judgment on that day

Will reveal and consume all the wood. Hey stubble that the world has the judgment has already begun

The tipping point has been reached The Lord Jesus said in Luke chapter 12 verse 49.

I came to cast fire on the earth It's what he came for.

That's what he said. He came to do to bring fire That's the fire that Jesus kindled at the cross and is still blazing today separating

Judging consuming all the gear of our enemies Now finally, there are the four names in verse 6

This is the most well -known verse in this passage But for the cause again another cause of the great contrast from darkness to light from gloom to glory the tipping point

First it is to us notice that gonna take every phrase of this apart Is to us or which also is for us remember from chapter 8 remember

Emmanuel God Well first is with us. He's with us and then he's for us

But remember is it's kind of you could also say God with us He's not

God for everyone He is for the remnant. He's for those who were in anguish, but God For those who for whom the contrast happened happened that the tipping point was reached the dramatic change erupted from deep darkness to marvelous light from gloom to gladness

That's the us To us He was given When John Wesley was a missionary to Georgia a strict traditional

Anglican he was impressed with the Moravians About their fear of God and their fearlessness

When a storm broke out and they were caught in the storm as they crossed the Atlantic in a sailboat In Georgia, one of their pastors and mr.

Spanning Berg Since that something was missing from Wesley and ask him quoting

Wesley. This is Wesley Wesley's own words Is he recounting this have you it's a Spanning Berg asked him.

Have you the witness within yourself? Does the spirit bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God I Was surprised says

Wesley and knew not what to answer He observed it and asked do you know

Jesus Christ? I Paused and said I know that he is the Savior of the world

True replied he but do you know that he has saved you? After he failed as a missionary and he failed he just failed as a missionary in Georgia had to return to England in disgrace

He went to a meeting of the Moravians in London at on Aldersgate Street Where they read in this meeting they read from Martin Luther's preface to his commentary on Romans at about 8 45 p .m

Quoting Wesley again while he well That's Luther was describing the change which

God works in the heart through faith in Christ. I felt my heart strangely warmed

I felt I did trust in Christ Christ alone for salvation and An assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins even mine and Saved me from the law of sin and death

That was the tipping point for him From deep darkness to marvelous light when he knew that to us

What's to him to me? to you I hope a child is born to us a son is given

Isaiah's talked a lot about son so far hasn't he thought about son so far in this book two of his sons are signs

But this new son He will have the government upon his shoulder

Now in other words the rule the authority to reign the kingdom of God will rest on him

So this this son cannot be another son of Isaiah. He's not talking about he's having a third son

Isaiah is a prophet not a king. He's not from the line of David where all true Kings come from So you can't come from him

So this son from the line of David This son is born to rule

He's not born just to be a sign Many people today sometimes because all they think about Christ is around Christmastime.

They see him as See him as a baby sweet baby Jesus. That's kind of way. They think of Jesus.

He's meek and mild no crying He makes he's a symbol for everything. That's nice and cute He's a sign about sleeping and heavenly peace and you know, all the children of the world will lock arms and sing kumbaya

Now here though the son is born to be a king to have the authority to rule

Rest on him rest on him. It doesn't it doesn't go from him It stays there to be in charge to be seated on the throne and reigning putting all his enemies under his feet

And he says his name Shall be called and this is like the same phrase we saw in chapter 7 where the son who was a sign

It said he will be he will be called Emmanuel but he wasn't literally named

Emmanuel. He was Emmanuel God with us That was his nature the skeptic now could say well, that's just the

Christian interpretation Yeah, but what do you do about? this son I Mean who will be called these four names?

That you would never call anyone in Isaiah's near term You know some child of a has something to be born

It would be blasphemy to call, you know, hezekiah who is soon to be born

Or you know this coming good king to call him these names There's only one son these names fit the one literally born of a virgin

Who literally was? Emmanuel God with us he's the tipping point his name

Shall be called four names Wonderful counselor first one

In other words a wonder of a counselor the word wonder in the Old Testament is almost always use of the

Lord It's sort of similar. We would say is supernatural a supernatural Counselor said just beyond anything we could just you could explain by nature by education by Just talent

Talks about a quality of counsel of teaching that makes you just it makes you just wonder just to be a maid You know, wow

What was that? the kind of teacher that amazes people because he speaks with authority not like other teachers because and he does that because he is the

Authority he brings a wisdom that is far above the human He fulfills the promise in Isaiah chapter 1 verse 26 earlier where he said that God will restore our counselors as at the beginning

That was fulfilled when the Son was given Second he's called

Meaning he is Mighty God now skeptics try hard to find some way.

Well, maybe God is just like an adjective He's God like is God like mightiness sort of like that, but that's not what it says

He will be called Mighty God because he is the mighty

God And this you remember think of this. This is in the Old Testament where there is

Only one God the Lord is one the Son who was born again, literally is

Emmanuel God the mighty God with us With you.

Well third he is the everlasting father He is a king who relates to his subjects like a father now sure in relationship

To God the father he's called the son The son was given to us by the father but in relationship to us

He's more like a father. He calls people, you know, like the woman with the issue of blood.

He called her daughter He calls us we already seen little children

Notice what kind of father he is He's an everlasting one. He's one who lasts

Forever he's not one who abandons us because he you know Finds another younger woman to run after or maybe just get done doesn't want to put up with us

Bratz anymore He's not one who eventually dies of old age as good as father. It may be as he was

This one lasts forever Now they could perhaps call it you can see okay I think you call a human king and he could call him the father of the country kind of like maybe we called

George George Washington that but he didn't last forever. Did he? And they couldn't call him everlasting

There's only one way to be an everlasting father And that's by lasting forever as only

God can do Now forth he is the Prince of Peace He is the one who administers all the benefits of peace

Who restores all things in his perfect rule? Prince ruler is who he is.

Peace is what his rule Creates does it create oppression? Does it create?

Obey all these rules are so stringent is so frustrating No, he creates peace a wholeness and completeness.

Nothing is lacking. Everything is restored. Nothing. Nothing's missing Everything has been made, right?

The Lord Jesus said says from his throne Behold I Make all things new in Revelation chapter 21 verse 5 and Paul tells us in 1st

Corinthians 15 that he now rules He is seated on the throne.

He's and he quote he must reign He must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet.

So the peacemaking wholeness creating Perfection restoring enemy subjugating work is going on right now the tipping point

Was when he was on earth in Galilee When he showed signs of the kingdom and you remember

John the Baptist asked, you know You don't look like the kind of King we were expecting like some Christians today They totally misunderstand the

Bible at the same way John the Baptist did thinking the kingdom has still hasn't come That we still haven't reached the tipping point that we're still entirely in the former times

Because the kingdom hasn't come they said if we're We're still in all that gloom waiting for the kingdom to come in the future

But Jesus answered in Luke chapter 7 verse 22. He said, you know go tell John The blind receive their sight the lame walk the dead are raised the poor had the good news preached to them

These are these are the signs of the kingdom These are the proofs that the tipping point has already been reached and then in Luke chapter 11 verse 20

He said if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons than the kingdom of God has come Perfect tense can pass completed action upon you.

It's it's it's done The kingdom has come the strong man has been bound. We can spoil his house.

The kingdom of God is Advancing his enemies are being put under his feet

All things are being made new the tipping point has been reached because the

Prince of Peace Has the government on his shoulders? That's the cause

That's the tipping point that brought the contrast Took us from gloom to glory and gladness

Next is the consequence in verse 7 The causes the freedom the fire of the four -named

Son will bring the effect of he says the increase of his government and of peace

That's the effect again. Remind you 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 25 favorite verse of mine.

He must Reign me right now Until he has put all his enemies under his feet that rule of Jesus the kingdom of God will

Increase now sure is sometimes and in some places it might look like it is diminishing for whatever reason and God's sovereignty

That happens many of many of the changes in our culture over the last generation look like Jesus is reigning here less here in the

United States less Than he did before looks like you could debate that but meanwhile though millions

Hundreds of millions perhaps billions have come to the Lord in China and Africa and South America His government has indeed worldwide been increasing more people are calling him

Lord and bowing at the name of Jesus I believe I'm at the top of my head something the the number of Christians have quadrupled in the last century not more than that so So that means that more people are now at peace with God Than ever before and so more at peace with their neighbors the throne of David It was that that covenant that God made that someone from the line of David will always rule that is being established

Jesus is the king from the line of David. He's ruling right now Jesus the son of David is reigning justice and righteousness are

Being are in the process right now of being restored because Jesus reigns in the hearts of his people

Justice and righteousness Slavery is now abolished. So we had human history had slavery for thousands of years

Why did it in suddenly really just about 150 years ago? Because the reign of Jesus in people's lives evils that used to be common worldwide for thousands of years

Are have been wiped out or are still are in the process of being wiped out like infanticide

Gladiatorial games human sacrifices genocides Executions for you know for minor crimes, you know being a pickpocket you get hanged us

That's not just the Prince of Peace pieces. His government has been increasing and That will continue forever

And that began in verse 7 from this time When the latter times started but for Isaiah the latter times when the contrast began when the eternal decree of But God God God Inserted a but in to his actions.

That's probably not the right term That's what I get when I talk it talk off the top of my head, but God created a contrast in in in history

When Jesus brought in the kingdom of God when the Son was born The Prince of Peace when he set a fire on the earth and by the finger of God introduced his government

That's the tipping point when his government began and it will go on he says here forever more

Now why? That's sort of the final question Why is it so certain

God can speak of it as done? Why is it so set in? concrete

That he speaks of it in past tense You know about things that are in the latter days in the future

What you know he speaks of it as? Just as just as as certain as the former times as the past.

How can you how can we be so sure? Maybe you get tired of us. Maybe you won't maybe you say there's people are too much trouble

Well, he says because at the end of her he says in verse 7 explains it the zeal of the

Lord of hosts Will do this, you know zeal It's not a passionate fiery commitment

The Lord the Almighty God He's that he's the Lord of hosts. I mean, he's the Almighty God He has billions of angels and those fiery seraphim and fateful saints

He hasn't met his command is all power. The mighty God is passionately committed to this to being unto us a son

Who was given? for us God so loved the world all kinds of people the the remnant that will turn to him from every nation

God so loved them that he resolved zealously eagerly passionately to save them

And he does it with a zest with a zeal He predestined them remember in Ephesians 1 he predestined them not just coldly not just kind of abstractly

Theologically, he predestined them how in? love

Impassionate love According as it go to his good pleasure

According to his zeal before the foundation of the world. He committed himself to revealing himself

Particularly in Galilee being the light of the world in the middle of deep darkness Setting us free bringing

Satan down from heaven bringing a fire on earth that consumes all the unfruitful trees being a wonderful counselor our mighty

God everlasting father Prince of Peace to increase his government his rule his reign until all

His enemies have been overpowered and defeated and the last enemy to be defeated now

And it's as certain as if already done But it's not yet done in our experience.

The last enemy to be defeated is death He is making all things new and at peace and he is zealous to do that For us.

So what do you do for him? You need to reach a tipping point

The point at which you know You are among the us For whom this child was born

The Spirit of God Bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God when you hear to us a

Son is given Do you know? to me He was given

Do you? Seek first his government It's on his shoulders