In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith teaches from Isaiah chapter 9, focusing on the theme of God's pursuit of His people. He begins by explaining how God gave warnings to the nation of Israel to turn from their wickedness, but they failed to repent. Pastor Chuck emphasizes the importance of learning important lessons in life and how God becomes stronger in His methods of teaching when we persist in disobedience. He then highlights the hope found in Isaiah's prophecy of a great light shining in the darkness, symbolizing the coming of Jesus Christ. The sermon concludes with a prayer for the listeners to walk in the ways of the Lord and experience His fellowship and love.

Welcome to The Word for Today. The Word for Today is a continuous study of the Bible taught by Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Chuck is currently teaching from the Old Testament. And for those of you following along in your Bibles, we'll be continuing today in Isaiah chapter 9, beginning with verse 1, as we continue with an in-depth study. And now with today's study, here's Pastor Chuck. When at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan and in the Galilee of the nations. Now God sort of gave them a warning. They went through some difficult times, times of real hardship and difficulty, but they failed to repent. They failed to turn to God, and thus God then dealt with them in a more severe way. God is merciful even in judgment, and God always gives to us the opportunity to repent. And sometimes He allows things to happen which are bad, which are only a foretaste of the worst things that will happen if we do not repent and turn. They are sort of just warnings of God to turn from your wickedness. Now I have often said that there are important lessons that we need to learn, and God intends that we learn these lessons because they are important to our own welfare. We have to know these things, just like there are certain things that your children need to know, important lessons they need to learn. Now there are many important things that we need to learn because our lives depend on it, and God is determined that we're going to learn. And as He is training us, maybe in the beginning it's just sort of a light reprimand in hopes that we will use good judgment and we'll see the danger and the folly of it. But if we persist as did the nation of Israel, then God becomes stronger and stronger in the methods that He uses to teach those important lessons. And so their affliction was rather light at the first, but it was a foreshadowing of that which was to come if they did not change. God has important lessons that you need to know that you must learn, and if you don't learn the easy way, you'll learn the hard way. For there is always an easy way and a hard way to learn things. And if we are stubborn, then we'll learn the hard way. And a lot of times people say, oh, why did God ever allow this to happen to me, you know? And oh, well, you just didn't learn, friend. You know, you needed to know, but you wouldn't listen. So you can make up your mind to learn the easy way or you can learn the hard way. It's up to you. They're going to experience this dimness. Not as bad when God first began to vex them. That was just slight. It's going to get worse until it will be complete darkness. The dimness will turn to darkness. But then out of that darkness, those people sitting in darkness, having been taken captive by the Assyrians, the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. God, it seems, just never gives up. He continues to pursue. Even when we've turned our backs upon Him, even when we've gone into captivity, God continues to pursue. And they now sitting in this darkness, God brought to them a glorious light. The people who were walking in darkness have seen a great light and we know that that light is this child that was to be born. The sign of the virgin that would conceive and bear a child is the great light that is promised. They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, this land had now been forsaken. It was empty. The villages were destroyed and the land was desolate, the land of Zeppelin and Naphtali. The Lord declares, you have multiplied the nation and increased the joy. The word not is, should be omitted from the translation. The joy before thee according to the joy and harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. The day is coming. Those that are sitting in darkness are going to see the great light. It will be a day of tremendous joy. God will multiply the nation. He will increase their joy. It will be the same joy that they have at harvest time. As men rejoice when they've won a victory and are dividing the spoils of war. Because you have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of the oppressor as in the days of Midian, the Midianites who were defeated by Gideon and actually defeated by the Lord. Gideon was the human instrument. And so will Assyria be broken, even as Midian was broken. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and the garments are rolled in blood. But this shall be with a burning and the fuel of fire. And this will all take place when unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder. So here we have now a further prophecy of the Messiah in 714. Behold, the Lord himself will give you a sign for a virgin will conceive and bear a son shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Now we are given a little more information concerning this child. Unto us a child is born. He is the one that will bring light, bring light to the people. John said in the beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word was God. The same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that was made and in him was life and the life was the light of men. This is the true light that shineth unto every man. Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He that abideth in me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. And so those sitting in darkness have seen the great light, the nation of Israel in his darkness to them, the light did shine the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news, the Messiah has come unto us. A child is born there on that special night in Bethlehem. We read in Luke's gospel that she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the end. A child is born, but he's a special child. He is born of a virgin, but more than that, this child that was born in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary is the son of God. As the angel said to Mary, when he announced to her that she was highly favored of the Lord because she was to be the earthly instrument through which God would bring his son into the world, he said to her, he shall be great and shall sit upon the throne of his father, David, and spoke of the glorious government and the peace. So this child that is born is a son that is given. And the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son. And throughout the gospel of John, over and over, Jesus affirms that I did not come to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And he spoke of God as his father until finally they took up stones to kill him. And he said, I've done a lot of good works. For which of the good works are you stoning me? And they said, we're not stoning you because of the good works. We're stoning you because you being a man are constantly insisting that you are the son of God. And as you go through the gospel of John, you find that their charge is correct. He was constantly affirming that he was the son of God. Unto us a son is given. God gave his son. Now Isaiah here talks of the future glory of his son. Now the Bible tells us that the prophets in the Old Testament wrote of things that they did not fully understand. They desired really to know more completely the plan of God. And they were confused many times by the things they wrote. Because at times it seemed that they were writing things that were contradictory. And here Isaiah in speaking about this son that will be given speaks about the glorious reign, the eternal reign of this son. How the government will be upon his shoulder. At the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end sitting upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom ordering it in justice or righteousness and judgment from henceforth, even forever. But later on in chapter 53, Isaiah tells us concerning this son that he will be despised and rejected by man. He will be a man of sorrow and acquainted with griefs. He will be put to death and in his death he will be put to death between thieves, transgressors. And he goes on to tell us though that his death is for us. That God laid on him the iniquities of us all. He was bruised for our transgressions, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. And God cries out for my people. He is afflicted. And so it seems to be totally contradictory, put to death, despised and rejected, and yet reigning forever a king. We find that in the first coming, the prophecies of the latter part of chapter 52 and 53 were fulfilled. Jesus was crucified. He was despised and rejected. He was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. He was put to death, numbered with the transgressors in his death. The only way by which he can possibly fulfill the other prophecies is by coming again, empowering glory. And that's exactly what he told his disciples he was going to do. As he was getting ready to be put to death to fulfill those first part of the prophecies, as he was ready to be despised and rejected and hanged on a cross the night before, gathered with his disciples, he said, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Now believe also in me. For in my Father's house there are many abiding places. And if it were not so, I would have told you, and I'm going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, then I am going to come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And he spoke words of comfort, promising to come again. And he told his disciples earlier as they were saying, Lord, what will be the sign of your coming and the end of this age? And he said unto them, when giving them the signs, the great tribulation. But immediately after the tribulation of those days shall they see the sign of the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great glory. And so this particular portion of the prophecy, as Isaiah at this point, speaking about God giving his son, jumps over the first coming and goes to the second coming, the coming of Christ in power and glory. And you can only understand the prophecies concerning Christ when you see it in the aspect of his first coming and in his second coming. He came first to be an offering for sin, to provide for God a way by which he might forgive you your sins. By his taking your guilt and your sin and dying in your place, providing for God a righteous basis for the forgiveness of your sins. But he's coming again, not as a child, but as a reigning king to establish God's kingdom upon the earth, reigning over the earth. And thus the other prophecies of which the Old Testament is also filled, will come to pass when Jesus reigns as king over the earth. And so here the child is born, the son is given, jumping though the aspects of his first coming. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor. The word wonderful could also be translated and is translated in some of the translations, Marvelous Counselor. That is, as a leader, he will exercise tremendous wisdom. His ways are right. As a reigning monarch, he will be a wonderful counselor, for he is the mighty God. Now the mighty God is used again in the next chapter, and it can refer there only to God. The remnant shall return even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God. And so here that same title is given to Jesus, for Jesus is God. In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God, Jesus is God. And so his name will be called the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. Now, another translation of this and more literal is the Father Eternal. And it speaks of the nature of Jesus as a Father. It does not really refer to God the Father, but Jesus in the characteristics of the Father Eternal, and finally, the Prince of Peace. You know, the world is so hungry for peace today, that we're willing, for the sake of peace, to even set aside good judgment, because we're so hungry for peace. And rightfully so. There's nothing wrong with desiring peace. God knows that war is a horrible thing. And the prospect of war with nuclear weapons is unthinkable. And thus, peace is a attractive, desirable thing. And we desire it so deeply that we're willing to lay aside our good judgment, and just the hope of peace. Why? You know, there are a lot of peace movements around the world today. And I sympathize with the desire for peace. However, I have just enough knowledge of man and of the Word of God, that I know that there will be no real peace until the Prince of Peace comes and reigns over the earth. As long as we have human governments, as long as we have man in government, there will be no peace. It is not until the Prince of Peace comes that the earth can really have a real, true peace on earth. Pastor Chuck Smith will return with a few closing comments. But first, I'd like to remind you that today's message is available in its unedited form on cassette or CD. Simply write or call and ask for ordering details on tape or CD number C-3246. Again, that's tape or CD number C-3246. Well, it's that time of year again. It may seem innocent, but the symbols of Halloween, like black cats, jack-o'-lanterns, and trick-or-treat, all have roots in sorcery and Satanism. We would never knowingly get involved with anything related to Satan, but many Christians don't understand what's really behind the pagan holiday. The word for today would like to offer you a presentation hosted by Pastor Chuck Smith called Halloween Trick-or-Treat that traces the pagan origins and history of Halloween. This powerful movie uncovers the mystic rites and ceremonies of Satan and will forever change your opinion of Halloween. Every year as the end of October approaches, we are faced with the dilemma of family and friends pressuring us to participate in the celebration of this pagan holiday. This documentary will definitely challenge you to decide whether or not you'll continue to participate in this tradition. If you'd like more information on Halloween Trick-or-Treat, then simply write or call and ask one of our operators for the ordering details. Again, it's called Halloween Trick-or-Treat. And right now, if you place an order, the word for today would like to bless you with Pastor Chuck Smith's pamphlet, How Can a Man Be Born Again? Absolutely Free. Instead of just giving candy this year, the pamphlet is the perfect tool for Christians to share the gospel with loved ones and friends. Available in both English and Spanish. Again, it's free when you call right now. To order Halloween Trick-or-Treat for yourself or for a friend, you can call the word for today at 1-800-272-WORD. Or write to us at P.O. Box 8000, Costa Mesa, California, 92628. Once again, that number to call is 1-800-272-9673. And for those of you that would like to visit our website, you can do so at www.twft.com. Or if you would like to email us, you can do so at info at twft.com. Well, coming up next time on The Word for Today, Pastor Chuck will be continuing his fascinating study through the book of Isaiah. That's coming up next time on The Word for Today. And now, with a few closing comments, here is Pastor Chuck. Now may the Lord be with you, and watch over you, and preserve and keep you in His law. And may you go forward in the things of God, pressing on into that full, complete relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Determining to live a life that is pleasing, a life that is acceptable. Denying the temptations to yield to the flesh and the things of the flesh. Resolved to live after the Spirit. And thus may your life be enriched and blessed as you've chosen the good path and you walk in the ways of the Lord. May you enjoy His fellowship and His love and His Spirit working in your life. In Jesus' name. Lord, let me love You face to face.