SERMON
“God With Us” Brings Hope – November 30, 2025
Pastor Paul
Advent marks the beginning of the church year—a season inviting us to slow down, take a breath, and remember what this time is truly about. The word Advent simply means “coming.” From the earliest centuries, Christians used this season to prepare for and celebrate Jesus’ birth, and by the sixth century they also connected it to His promised return, when He will make all things new.
Advent is more than a countdown to Christmas. It links the past, present, and future. We celebrate the hope fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming, and we wait—actively and expectantly—for the day when He will fully establish His Kingdom. Jesus has already come, born in Bethlehem and fulfilling Israel’s long wait. His first Advent anchors our hope, showing us that God’s promises can be trusted. Yet we still wait for His second coming, living in the tension of the “already and not yet.” Our hope is not wishful thinking; it is real because God is alive and with us.
Throughout this season, the Church reflects on four themes—Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Advent isn’t pretending life is perfect; it’s learning to notice where God is at work in imperfect life. God does not promise to instantly fix everything, but He does promise to be with us in everything. Advent reminds us that we never wait alone.
Isaiah 9 speaks directly into this kind of waiting. Israel had long known what it was to walk in darkness. Their history was filled with moments of faithfulness and failure, prosperity and famine, and centuries of crying out, “How long, O Lord?” Isaiah stepped into a world marked by political corruption, spiritual darkness, and national despair. It was easy for people to feel that hope had run out. And just like in Isaiah’s day, many today feel the weight of division, the heaviness in our nation, the injustices around us, and the strain of daily life. Moments like these are exactly why Isaiah’s promise of a coming Light still matters.
Into that darkness, God spoke a word of hope:
“1 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 nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness 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 warriors 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. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” – Isaiah 9:1-7
Isaiah begins with darkness—not because he is pessimistic, but because hope always starts there. He doesn’t gloss over the pain of his world; he names it and declares that God is at work even there. Biblical hope is not optimism (“Things will probably get better”). Hope is confidence that even when we can’t see it, God is moving—and God is with us.
We understand what it means to sit in the dark—waiting on medical results, carrying relational strain, feeling spiritually stuck, or gathering around a Thanksgiving table while feeling deeply alone. Isaiah’s words remind us that God meets us right there. Hope rarely feels dramatic; it often begins quietly—the first deep breath after illness, the tiny percentage the doctor gives you, the faint line on a long-prayed-for pregnancy test, or the first ray of sunlight after a tearful night.
Isaiah’s prophecy offered immediate hope to his generation, but it also pointed forward to its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus—our King and Savior. Isaiah then gives four titles that reveal who He is and the hope He offers.
Four Names of Jesus
The first name is Wonderful Counselor, which means that Jesus brings wisdom that never fails. When we don’t know what to do, He does. When we feel confused or overwhelmed, His guidance remains steady.
The second name is Mighty God, which tells us that the One who comes is not merely helpful—He is powerful. He is stronger than fear. Stronger than sin. Stronger than anything that burdens us.
The third name is Everlasting Father, which shows that He is a protector, and a constant companion. He will never abandon us, never forget about us, and never walk away from us.
And the fourth name is Prince of Peace, which shows that Jesus is the One who brings wholeness. He brings a peace that isn’t shallow. He brings a peace that enters the chaos and calms it from the inside.
Together, these four names paint a complete picture: Jesus brings wisdom for our confusion, strength for our fear, companionship for our loneliness, and peace for our chaos.
Each of these four names spoke directly into the despair of Isaiah’s day, and it speaks into the despair of our day as well.
Isaiah spoke to a nation waiting in the dark, but Scripture also shows us personal stories of waiting in the dark, and Hannah’s story is one of the clearest. For years she longed for a child. She prayed, she wept, and she lived under the weight of shame. Yet one day, after pouring out her soul to the Lord, Scripture says she went away “no longer downcast.” Nothing had changed outwardly, but hope had awakened within her. And in God’s time, He answered. Hannah reminds us that hope grows not from what we see but from who God is.
Psalm 139 assures us that even the darkest places are not dark to God: “Even the darkness will not be dark to You.” Lamentations 3 echoes the same truth: God’s mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness never fails. Our hope is rooted not in circumstances but in the unchanging character of God—the God who sees, who stays, who guides, and who keeps His promises.
The New Testament shows us exactly when Isaiah’s promise began to unfold. In Matthew 4, when Jesus begins His ministry, He goes to the very region Isaiah spoke of centuries earlier. Matthew writes—quoting Isaiah—“The people living in darkness have seen a great light.” Matthew wants us to see clearly: the Light Isaiah promised has come. The child has arrived. The names are fulfilled. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He stepped into the darkest places then—and He continues to do so now.
And yet, like Israel, we still wait. We wait for the day when Jesus will return and finish what He started—when every tear is wiped away, every injustice made right, every war ceases, and every darkness is driven away by everlasting light. Advent teaches us that hope is not wishful thinking, but a certainty rooted in the God who keeps His promises. The first Advent proves that God comes. The second Advent assures us that He will come again.
Until that day, the Light of the world walks with us—even in the dark.
So, as we enter this Advent season, don’t just look back to Bethlehem—look ahead to the day when Christ will return. And in the meantime, let your hope be more than a feeling. Let it be a practice.
Even a simple prayer can open the heart to God’s light: “Jesus, be my Light today.”
As we wait, we wait with hope. Because God with us still brings light into every darkness.
Advent is more than a countdown to Christmas. It links the past, present, and future. We celebrate the hope fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming, and we wait—actively and expectantly—for the day when He will fully establish His Kingdom. Jesus has already come, born in Bethlehem and fulfilling Israel’s long wait. His first Advent anchors our hope, showing us that God’s promises can be trusted. Yet we still wait for His second coming, living in the tension of the “already and not yet.” Our hope is not wishful thinking; it is real because God is alive and with us.
Throughout this season, the Church reflects on four themes—Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Advent isn’t pretending life is perfect; it’s learning to notice where God is at work in imperfect life. God does not promise to instantly fix everything, but He does promise to be with us in everything. Advent reminds us that we never wait alone.
Isaiah 9 speaks directly into this kind of waiting. Israel had long known what it was to walk in darkness. Their history was filled with moments of faithfulness and failure, prosperity and famine, and centuries of crying out, “How long, O Lord?” Isaiah stepped into a world marked by political corruption, spiritual darkness, and national despair. It was easy for people to feel that hope had run out. And just like in Isaiah’s day, many today feel the weight of division, the heaviness in our nation, the injustices around us, and the strain of daily life. Moments like these are exactly why Isaiah’s promise of a coming Light still matters.
Into that darkness, God spoke a word of hope:
“1 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 nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness 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 warriors 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. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” – Isaiah 9:1-7
Isaiah begins with darkness—not because he is pessimistic, but because hope always starts there. He doesn’t gloss over the pain of his world; he names it and declares that God is at work even there. Biblical hope is not optimism (“Things will probably get better”). Hope is confidence that even when we can’t see it, God is moving—and God is with us.
We understand what it means to sit in the dark—waiting on medical results, carrying relational strain, feeling spiritually stuck, or gathering around a Thanksgiving table while feeling deeply alone. Isaiah’s words remind us that God meets us right there. Hope rarely feels dramatic; it often begins quietly—the first deep breath after illness, the tiny percentage the doctor gives you, the faint line on a long-prayed-for pregnancy test, or the first ray of sunlight after a tearful night.
Isaiah’s prophecy offered immediate hope to his generation, but it also pointed forward to its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus—our King and Savior. Isaiah then gives four titles that reveal who He is and the hope He offers.
Four Names of Jesus
The first name is Wonderful Counselor, which means that Jesus brings wisdom that never fails. When we don’t know what to do, He does. When we feel confused or overwhelmed, His guidance remains steady.
The second name is Mighty God, which tells us that the One who comes is not merely helpful—He is powerful. He is stronger than fear. Stronger than sin. Stronger than anything that burdens us.
The third name is Everlasting Father, which shows that He is a protector, and a constant companion. He will never abandon us, never forget about us, and never walk away from us.
And the fourth name is Prince of Peace, which shows that Jesus is the One who brings wholeness. He brings a peace that isn’t shallow. He brings a peace that enters the chaos and calms it from the inside.
Together, these four names paint a complete picture: Jesus brings wisdom for our confusion, strength for our fear, companionship for our loneliness, and peace for our chaos.
Each of these four names spoke directly into the despair of Isaiah’s day, and it speaks into the despair of our day as well.
Isaiah spoke to a nation waiting in the dark, but Scripture also shows us personal stories of waiting in the dark, and Hannah’s story is one of the clearest. For years she longed for a child. She prayed, she wept, and she lived under the weight of shame. Yet one day, after pouring out her soul to the Lord, Scripture says she went away “no longer downcast.” Nothing had changed outwardly, but hope had awakened within her. And in God’s time, He answered. Hannah reminds us that hope grows not from what we see but from who God is.
Psalm 139 assures us that even the darkest places are not dark to God: “Even the darkness will not be dark to You.” Lamentations 3 echoes the same truth: God’s mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness never fails. Our hope is rooted not in circumstances but in the unchanging character of God—the God who sees, who stays, who guides, and who keeps His promises.
The New Testament shows us exactly when Isaiah’s promise began to unfold. In Matthew 4, when Jesus begins His ministry, He goes to the very region Isaiah spoke of centuries earlier. Matthew writes—quoting Isaiah—“The people living in darkness have seen a great light.” Matthew wants us to see clearly: the Light Isaiah promised has come. The child has arrived. The names are fulfilled. Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. He stepped into the darkest places then—and He continues to do so now.
And yet, like Israel, we still wait. We wait for the day when Jesus will return and finish what He started—when every tear is wiped away, every injustice made right, every war ceases, and every darkness is driven away by everlasting light. Advent teaches us that hope is not wishful thinking, but a certainty rooted in the God who keeps His promises. The first Advent proves that God comes. The second Advent assures us that He will come again.
Until that day, the Light of the world walks with us—even in the dark.
So, as we enter this Advent season, don’t just look back to Bethlehem—look ahead to the day when Christ will return. And in the meantime, let your hope be more than a feeling. Let it be a practice.
Even a simple prayer can open the heart to God’s light: “Jesus, be my Light today.”
As we wait, we wait with hope. Because God with us still brings light into every darkness.