A Son is Born; a Son is Given
A Sermon on Isaiah 9:6
Scripture
6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Sermon Description
Can God and His promises be trusted? Christmas affirms that they can. In this sermon on Isaiah 9:6 titled “A Son is Born, a Son is Given,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches in this text that Christians must think more highly of the gift of Christ they are given from the Father. A gift tells about the one who gives as well as the one who receives. When Christians consider the greatness of God giving His Son, they understand three things. First, they must make much of God and not only Christ; the giver is as great as the gift. Second, they must be in very great need if they are given so costly a gift. Finally, their response must be one of amazement, gratitude, and praise. God loves so much that He gave the greatest gift that could be given. Christians should hold fast to that when they struggle to trust God’s promises. Christmas is the guarantee that they can trust God’s goodness.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon begins by focusing on gift giving during Christmas time. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that mankind consciously helps bring out the importance of Christmas by giving gifts to one another.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones then transitions to discuss God's gift to the world - the birth of Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to Jesus as God's gift in Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines the gift itself - the baby Jesus born in a manger. At first sight, it seems like a small, helpless gift but it is actually God's only begotten Son. The circumstances of Jesus's birth were very humble, surprising and not what we would expect.
- We must look closely at the gift to see its glory and wonder. Jesus, though born a baby in a manger, is the eternal Son of God. This is the "unspeakable gift" referred to in 2 Corinthians 9:15.
- The gift tells us much about the giver, God the Father. We must never forget that God gave his only Son. The gift shows us God's love, grace, purpose and truthfulness.
- Before creation, God planned to give this gift. He fulfilled His promise when the "fullness of time had come." The timing of Jesus's birth was perfect.
- God's promises and word are always true. We can trust in His promises and look to the future with confidence because God is unchangeable.
- The gift also tells us about ourselves and tests our reaction. Do we see our need for the gift? Do we realize the immense cost of the gift? Do we understand all that the gift provides - salvation, reconciliation, new life, adoption, an eternal inheritance?
- At first sight the gift seems small but it holds infinite worth. God gave his ultimate gift at the greatest cost.
- The sermon ends with a prayer that we would be filled with gratitude, amazement and praise for God's unspeakable gift.
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.