Isaiah 9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What’s In a Name? Isaiah 7-9 Our lives have many surprises Unexpected challenges Ups and downs The good, the bad and the ugly And while all this sounds bad The other option is not good

Some 2700 years ago, like today, there were problems Aram and Ephraim joined forces And the people feared We are no different We too panic

Isaiah 7 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

There is always something to panic about Fear and panic often cause… 1.Worse case scenarios 2.To react rather than act 3.To become paralyzed

God says… 1.Be careful 2.Keep calm 3.Do not be afraid because there will always be a remnant

3 names to understand: Shear-Jashub – a remnant Immanuel – God is with us Maher-Shalel-Hash-Baz – there’ll be trouble

3 Then the L ORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.

How can we be calm? Because we have faith in our Savior We are asked to trust our Lord God knows the plan

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ ”

Ahaz, like us, thought he could go it alone He did not trust God He had a plan A strategy What could possibly go wrong? Things happen when don’t trust God

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Immanuel is coming but Maher-Shalal- Hash-Baz is here “Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoils” The reminder is: there will be trouble For everyone! In Isaiah we find that no one lives without suffering

Isaiah 8 3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the L ORD said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 Before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

But even in the midst of trouble God is with us We cannot live in a world without trouble We can live in a world of troubles with God by our side

7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River— the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks

O Immanuel 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!” 9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!

We worry, fret and fear about so many things And we often forget to fear the Lord We want to please everyone except God

13 The L ORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.

And even though we do not and cannot obey… The Lord is still with us He will make life better for us From darkness and the shadow of death to light and life

Isaiah 9 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

And even though we will never be able to live up to God’s love, forgiveness, compassion and grace… He will nevertheless be Wonderful and mighty Fatherly and full of peace

Wonderful Counselor Mighty GodEverlasting Father Prince of Peace 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Life is tough and we get scared But Immanuel – God is with us Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoils But Immanuel – God is with us

Shear-Jashub There will always be a remnant Because Immanuel – God is with us Life is difficult But Immanuel – God is with us We all suffer But Immanuel – God is with us Even when we try to be good we often fail But thank God for Immanuel God is definitely with us!