A child is born to rule the world. Jesus is prophesied to come and then return. Hallelujah! We need it.
Isaiah 9: For to Us a Child Is Born
1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 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.
7 Of the increase of his government and of 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.
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 "The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."
11 But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies.
12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the LORD of hosts.
14 So the LORD cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day---
15 the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another.
20 They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 10:
1 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3 What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment on Arrogant Assyria
5 Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;
8 for he says: "Are not my commanders all kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?"
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.
13 For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I remove the boundaries of peoples, and plunder their treasures; like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing or opened the mouth or chirped."
15 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.
18 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.
The Remnant of Israel Will Return
20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.
25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.
26 And the LORD of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.
27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat."
28 He has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he stores his baggage;
29 they have crossed over the pass; at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim! Give attention, O Laishah! O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob; he will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord GOD of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe, and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.
Things to think about…
1. Jesus is of course the One who is the great light who comes from the northern region of Zebulun and Naphtali. Nazareth is in this area – also called Galilee. Hence He was called a Galilean. He is our “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. “The increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom”, Isa 9:7. This has happened and continues to happen and “he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet”, 1Cor 15:25, the last enemy being death. Can’t wait for that to happen. Pray that the Jews see their prophesied Saviour – Yeshua (Jesus). This was Isaiah’s desire as well.
2. When the people of God turn against God, He raises up enemies, in this case the Syrians and the Philistines, Isa 9:11, 12. But more than this, there is internal fighting in Israel against Judah and Ephraim (Isael), Isa 9:21. It is a judgement on churches when there is internal turmoil. God commands a blessing where there is peace. Praise God for the continued peace and unity at CBC.
3. Pray for godly politicians to rule us. Isaiah spoke against those who wrote godless laws, Isa 10:1, that oppressed others. In 2017 we had a godless law passed with same sex marriage. Qld has legislated the most brutal abortion laws on the planet allowing murder up until the day of birth. Other states have followed this horrific milestone. God raises up judgement as He hands us over. In the case of Judah He says “Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!” Isa 10:5. Not only was the Lord stirring the near neighbours of Syria and Philistia against Israel, but also Assyria the superpower of the day would come against them.
4. “The cities mentioned in Isaiah 10:9, 10 came under Assyrian control between 740 and 721 B.C., and none of the gods of these areas had provided the slightest help. It was assumed that the ‘idols’ (v.10) of Jerusalem were equally impotent.” (Wolf) The northern tribes were taken captive by Assyria in 722BC. But Assyria for her part trusting in pride and fleshly strength would also be judged. Pray that God would continue to show His mercy on Australia. We haven’t been taken captive by our own sin and folly, but not outside the realms of possibility.
5. Assyria like Egypt before her would fall after the Lord has raised them up to judge, they will be pulled down, Isa 10:12, 24. God uses the nations to punish his people for disobedience, whether it is through the sword or drought and famine. May we heed the truth of 2Chr 7:14 “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
6. After judgement comes the remnant. God would return a remnant from Assyria, Isa 10:21. God returns a remnant from every nation back from sin towards Himself. Pray that this would be the case in our day in our country of Australia.
7. The Lord used Assyria as a judge on Israel, but a time was coming when Assyria would also be judged, Isa 10:24-34. This would happen when Babylon would revolt against them. The Persians would also be judged and be ruled over by Babylon and this season is referred to by Isaiah in this chapter where he says a remnant will return, Isa 10:20, 21. Cyrus also referred to by Isaiah as we have mentioned previously. A remnant of Jews would return to Mt Zion (Jerusalem) in 536BC after the land had rest for 70 years.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Ric Benson will be looking at the life of Christ in the church.
Pastor Jay has started the young adult’s life group after Sunday mornings café time. Open discussion around difficult topics and defending our faith is the focus.
Prayer Points
1. New people that they are welcomed into church life.
2. Those who are considering baptism.
3. Church finances to cover all expenses.
4. Pray for of Kids@Church, Life groups and church community days.
5. The conflicts in Haiti, Israel and Ukraine. Praise for the peace of Jesus to reign.
6. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
7. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
8. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday, pray that they are encouraged.
2. Continue to pray for Tad to gain strength at home. Continue to pray for Glenys as she now has a splint to gain full use in her left arm. This is very frustrating for Glenys as you can imagine. It has been many weeks and she is desiring relief. Any encouragement you can give will be greatly appreciated.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Working Bee – Saturday March 23rd 8am to 12pm. Please sign the jobs task sheet.
2. Life Groups Wednesday night at Church – 6:30pm.
3. Young Adults apologetics Life group after the service – 25th Feb 2024.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for March...
Q. 18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? A. He gave them souls that could never die.
