Looking Beyond the Birth
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let Earth receive her King Let every heart prepare Him room And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven and nature sing And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing” We hear these lyrics and many others quite often during this time of year. These songs are uplifting and remind the believer that God has always had a plan of salvation. In fact, I am sure that many will be hearing sermons regarding the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas and many of these sermons will feature the same verses regarding Christ’s birth. While this is all wonderful and needs to be taught on, I feel that there is a passage that is often discussed during Christmas but has a deeper meaning then what is taught.
“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
This is a very common verse to be discussed now and it is a wonderful verse full of the promise of God to send a Son who will rule the whole earth. However, it seems like verse six is where the discussion ends. I would argue that the next verse holds as much, if not more, importance.
“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:7
Christmas is an important time to look at the birth of Christ, however, we need to remember that His birth is not the end. We need to look beyond the birth and realize that one day there will be no end to His government. If we believe that God promised to one day send a savior as is promised in verse six, then the promise in verse seven is just as important. Christ will reign forever and this is something that we can be reminded of as we remember Christ’s birth.
However, I do want to leave a reminder here. Christ will reign forever, but only those who know Him as Lord and Savior will know His peace. If you have not come and confessed your sins to God, I encourage you to do so now. If you allow God to work in your life, you will see that we have a hope for the future kingdom that is one day coming.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex