This week, we explore Isaiah 8:11 - 9:7, a passage that flows from a command to fear God over worldly circumstances to the consequences of disobedience, and finally to the glorious promise of hope.

This section of Isaiah can be broken down into three parts:

• Fearing God (Isaiah 8:11-18): The people of Judah are called to stop fearing conspiracies and earthly threats and instead place their fear—a sense of holy awe and delight—in the Lord alone. God is meant to be their sanctuary, but by choosing not to trust Him, they make Him a "stone of stumbling".

• A Coming Darkness (Isaiah 8:19-22): For rejecting God's word and turning to mediums and necromancers, Judah is warned of a self-inflicted spiritual darkness and distress where there will be "no dawn".
• The Light Dawns (Isaiah 9:1-7): The passage dramatically shifts from judgment to hope, promising that "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light". This light comes through a child who will be born, a king given divine titles: "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". This child is identified as Jesus Christ, who fulfills this prophecy by beginning his ministry in the very lands of Zebulun and Naphtali mentioned by Isaiah.

The takeaway for us today is to examine our own lives.

We are challenged to consider where we might be walking in shadows, trusting in "lesser lights" or listening to "lesser voices" instead of Christ.

This sermon encourages us to ask what it would look like to truly let Jesus be our sanctuary this week—finding our security, identity, and peace in Him alone, rather than in our fears.