In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the parallels between the current state of society and the biblical story of Judah's idolatry and turning away from God. He condemns the prevalent evils in society, such as abortion, pornography, and humanistic philosophy. The preacher longs for the establishment of God's kingdom on earth and expresses concern for the corrupting influence of music, movies, and false values on children. The sermon concludes with a prayer for God's protection and a reference to the prophecy of a child being born who will bring light and salvation to the world.

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 2, as we continue with a topical And now with today's study, here's Pastor Chuck. Isaiah has been predicting dark days for the nation of Judah. They have turned their back upon God, and as a result, God has turned His back upon them. And they are going to experience the calamity that befalls a people who have been forsaken by God. There are dark days ahead. It's going to be hard times, it's going to be difficult times, it's going to be painful. They're going to experience the judgment of God against their sin and unrighteousness. And as he paints this dark future for them, he tells us in verse 2, that those people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those that are dwelling in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has the light shined. And then he tells us concerning this light, verse 6, for unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. This child that is to be born will be a very unique and special child, for he will be born of a virgin. God is going to come and visit this nation, for His name by interpretation is God with us. And God is going to come and visit the nation. And the sign to them will be that this child that will be born will be born of a virgin. But this child that is born is a son that is given. The question is, who is it that is giving his son? For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world. So the declaration is that God was the one who was going to give His Son. In the Gospel of John, well over fifteen times, Jesus speaks about the Father sending His Son into the world. The Gospel of John leaves no doubt but that this prophecy of Isaiah, unto us a Son is given, that that prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the one that was prophesied and predicted. He was born of the Virgin Mary. He was born as a child in Bethlehem, but He was much more than just a child being born. He is the Son of God who is being given to man. He is Emmanuel, God with us. John opens his Gospel declaring, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. And the same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by Him and without Him there was not anything made that is made. And then He tells us, and the Word became flesh and He dwelt among us. The Word is God and the Word became flesh, Emmanuel, God with us. Paul writing to the Philippians said concerning Jesus, who being in the form of God and thinking it not something to be grasped to be equal with God, He emptied Himself and took up the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. Emmanuel, God with us. What will be accomplished and what will happen to this child that is born, this Son that is given? In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, going ahead for a moment, Isaiah tells us that this child that is born, this Son that is given to man by God will be despised and rejected by men. He will be a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. He will come to His own, but His own will receive Him not. He will be put to death along with transgressors, but in His death He will bear the sin of mankind. For Isaiah 53 said, all of us like sheep have gone astray. We turned every one of us to our own ways, but God laid on Him the iniquities of us all. And He is wounded for our transgressions. He is bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace is upon Him. And so we are told that this child that is born, this Son that is given in turn will give His life for our sins. And yet we are also told about this child that is to be born, this Son that will be given. Here in our text we are told that the government will be upon His shoulders. The word government has almost become a dirty word. It's associated with corruption, with evil. It is associated with ineptness. We think of how man has suffered under government. I wonder what Isaiah would say to our nation today if he were a prophet called of God to give a message to the United States. I wonder what Jeremiah would be saying today. No doubt they'd be saying the same thing that they said to Judah who had turned over to idolatry, who had turned away from God and were worshiping pleasure and material possessions and sex and had forsaken the true and the living God. They would be crying out surely against allowing of 25 million babies to be aborted. They would be crying out against the evils that we are seeing around. They'd be crying out against X-rated videos, R-rated videos. They would be crying out against this whole humanistic philosophy that has prevailed in our society. And you see four-letter words are now accepted. They're art and they are art forms. They're freedom of expressions. The dirty words are words like censorship. Oh, what a filthy, pardon me, mixed company. As Isaiah said a couple of chapters earlier, woe unto those who call evil good and who call good evil. It is only another proof that man is incapable of governing over man without corruption, without it eroding and devolving and going and lapsing into the pit of corruption. And so government has become corrupted. And we are one more proof that man cannot really govern over men. What's the hope? Is there a hope? The only hope is that one day this child that was born, this son that was given will return to the earth again in order that the government might be placed upon his shoulder. Now, an interesting thing. The eggheads of the world have come to the conclusion that the only hope for man is a one world government. And they've also determined that there has to be a one world religion. That so many of the divisions of man and the wars have been fought over the different religions and the answer for that is to have a one world religion. Bring all the religions together. And they see this as the only answer to survival for the human race. It is interesting to me that they've come to this conclusion. It is a right conclusion. The only problem, they're planning to put in the wrong leader. And prior to the return of Jesus Christ and the government being upon his shoulder, Satan is going to put in a substitute plan and put the government on the shoulder of his man, the Antichrist. And for a couple of years they will feed the press and the media a rosy story. Everything is now on the border of a glorious new age. We have a world governor who is going to lead us to peace and prosperity. But he will bring the world to the verge of total annihilation as his seven year reign will end in the battle of Armageddon. One world government will be man's last final futile attempt to govern himself. And before man can totally destroy himself, this child to be born of a virgin, this son that God is giving, shall come again to this earth. He will set his foot upon the Mount of Olives. He will bring an end to Satan's substitute government, and he will establish a true one world government. The government will be upon his shoulder. Now we're told a little bit about that government. We're told of the increase of his government and peace. There shall be no end. We are told that he will sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom. You see, God made to David a very special promise. He said to David, from your seed there will be one who will come who will rule, and there will never cease to be one ruling from your seed forever. And so God had promised to David that that Messiah, that child that would be born, that son that God would give, would reign forever, king over the earth, king of kings and lord of lords, upon the throne of David. And he will order it and establish it in righteousness, in judgment and in justice, from henceforth even forever. Glorious eternal reign. And then we are told by Isaiah here that his name will be called Wonderful. His name will be called Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. He'll be called the Prince of Peace. Listen to what John tells us in the closing pages of the book of Revelation. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. God will dwell among the people, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And in his reign there will be no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain. And God, as though he is just swearing to the truth, said, Write, because these are true and faithful sayings. And as I look at the governments of man collapsing around the world, I see the failure of man's governments being manifested. My prayer is even so come quickly, Lord Jesus, establish your kingdom 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 T-3256. Again, that's tape or CD number T-3256. 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 PO 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'd 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 our closing prayer, here's Pastor Chuck. We pray, Father, as we look at the pictures that are given to us here in Jeremiah, and we see your prophet so disturbed over the nation, the things that were happening, as he knew that a society that had decayed to the extent of Judah would surely collapse and fall. So, Lord, our hearts are concerned as we see what's happening in our society, as we see the minds of our children being polluted by the perverted music of this day. And by the false images being portrayed in the movies, in the videos, and how their whole value system is being destroyed, undermined, and how evil is looked upon as good, and good is looked upon as evil. Lord, our hearts weep for our children and for our grandchildren, for the world that they are growing up in, so corrupted by sin. And, Lord, we pray that you will put a hedge around your people, around your church, around our hearts. And, Lord, that we might determine in our hearts to live for Jesus Christ, even in this dark and perverted age. And may our lives shine like a light in this darkness. May we stand against the forces of evil that are so entrenched today within our society. Gird us, Lord, with the helmet of salvation, with the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness. Our feet, Lord, may they be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, that we might carry your message of peace and love to a world that's about ready to destroy itself. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. This program is sponsored by The Word For Today, the radio ministry of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.