SERIES: Advent
TEXT: Isaiah 9:6
MESSAGE: “Knowing Jesus In the Loneliness”
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“You try to sleep but a chill seems to have crept into the room—and into your heart. The old longing rises unbidden, the longing for someone who isn’t there. That thickness in the throat, dryness in the mouth, that restlessness—what is it? You have been given much—home, work, friends. What is this weakness, this sickness, this storm in your soul?” — Elisabeth Elliot
TEXT: Isaiah 9:6
So, how does God meet us in our loneliness? In a…(1. Compassionate Way 2. Wondrous Way 3. Accessible Way)
1. Compassionate Way (v. 6)
“For to us a child is born…”
“How does the victorious, covenant-fulfilling work of God come about? By what way do the Lord’s people enter a non-contributory salvation? By the mere fact of the King’s birth. The emphasis rests not on ‘to us’ but on ‘a child is born.” — Alec Moyter
“Jesus’ coming is the final and unanswerable proof that God cares.” — William Barclay
2. Wondrous Way (v. 6)
“…to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder…”
“Christmas means that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself together and live a moral and good life…It is only what Jesus has done for you that can give you standing before God. There is no one, then, not even the greatest human being, who does not need the grace of Jesus Christ. And there is no one, not even the worst human being, who can fail to receive the grace of Jesus Christ if there is repentance and faith. ” ― Timothy Keller
“His peoples shoulders are delivered because he takes the burden of rule…” — Alec Moyter
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
3. Accessible Way (v. 6)
“…his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:20
TAKEAWAYS: How can we deal with loneliness? By…
* Anticipating seasons of loneliness
“Loneliness is one of God’s pulleys. It is a call to prayer. This condition of my earthly existence from which I cannot extricate myself is the very ground of my prayer. Because I am lonely and afflicted, I have reason to hope for divine help. God is in the business of coming to the aid of those who know their need and ask Him to meet it.” — Elisabeth Elliot
* Being reminded of God’s gifts
“The [Christian] message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.” — J.I. Packer