Bay Leaf Baptist Church

In this sermon on Isaiah 9, Pastor Jared Richard explores how God prepared for Christmas centuries before Christ's birth. Using the analogy of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate with its layers, Pastor Richard unpacks three prophetic layers: the failure of faithless King Ahaz who trusted Assyria rather than God, the promise of a greater king described with four divine titles (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace), and finally the arrival of Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. The sermon highlights how we, like Ahaz, often seek peace through human wisdom, politics, wealth, or idolatry instead of trusting God. Just as God demonstrated His power through weakness when Gideon defeated the Midianites, He sent His Son as a child to conquer our greatest enemies—sin, Satan, and death. While Christ's first coming allows us peace with God, we await His return for the complete fulfillment of Isaiah's promise of eternal peace.   WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Take a moment to fill out our d