PROMISED LIGHT

“God has blocked my way so I cannot move. He has plunged my path into darkness.”  Job 19:8 (NLT)

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel, even sacrificing his own son in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.  He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree."  2 Kings 16:2-4 (NLT)

“Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah."  Isaiah 7:4 (NLT)

But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “This invasion will never happen; it will never take place.”  Isaiah 7:7 (NLT)

Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”  Isaiah 7:10 (NLT)

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the LORD Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”
Isaiah 7:13-14 (NLT)

King Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria with this message:  “I am your servant and your vassal. Come up and rescue me from the attacking armies of Aram and Israel.  Then Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple of the Lord and the palace treasury and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian king.”
2 Kings 16:7-8 (NLT)

"Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear."  Isaiah 8:13 (NLT)

“Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.  Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”  Isaiah 8:20-22 (NIV)

"Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."  Isaiah 9:1-2 (NLT)

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  John 8:12 (NLT)

WHERE GOD IS NOT HOLY
THERE WILL BE DARKNESS

“The emphasis on light in darkness comes from the Christian belief that the world’s hope comes from outside of it. Christmas contains many spiritual truths, but it will be hard to grasp the others unless we grasp this one first. That is, that the world is a dark place, and we will never find our way unless Jesus is our Light.”
Timothy Keller – Hidden Christmas

MY DARKNESS CANNOT CHANGE HIS LIGHT, BUT HIS LIGHT CAN CHANGE MY DARKNESS