WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.240 So our reading is taken from Isaiah chapter 7, and we're reading the whole chapter. It's on page 692 in the Church Bibles. 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.000 ! Great. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:36.379 When Ahaz, son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah, son of Ramalia, king of Israel, marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 00:00:36.380 --> 00:00:49.520 Now the house of David was told, Aram has allied itself with Ephraim. So the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 00:00:50.520 --> 00:01:03.859 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out, you and your son Sheer-Jabesh, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the launderer's field. 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:21.859 Say to him, Be careful, keep calm, and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smouldering stubs of firewood, because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and of the son of Ramalia. 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:38.099 Aram, Ephraim, and Ramalia's son have plotted your ruin, saying, Let us invade Judah. Let us tear it apart, and divide it amongst ourselves, and make the son of Tabil king over it. 00:01:38.099 --> 00:01:54.099 Yet, this is what the sovereign Lord says. It will not take place. It will not happen. For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. 00:01:54.099 --> 00:02:09.560 Within 65 years, Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Ramalia's son. 00:02:10.959 --> 00:02:15.979 If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:25.379 Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:31.000 But Ahaz said, I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test. 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:41.620 And Isaiah said, Hear now, you house of David. Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:51.420 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:58.199 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:06.699 For before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:15.579 The Lord will bring on you and your people and on the house of your fathers a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.159 He will bring the king of Assyria. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:27.879 In that day, the Lord will whistle for flies from the Nile Delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:36.539 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thorn bushes and at all the water holes. 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:50.159 In that day, the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the river Euphrates, the king of Assyria, to shave your heads and private parts and to cut off your beards also. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:04:00.159 In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats, and because of the abundance of the milk they give, they will be curds to eat. 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.400 All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. 00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:13.439 In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will only be briars and thorns. 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:20.100 Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briars and thorns. 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:29.720 As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of briars and thorns. 00:04:30.980 --> 00:04:37.580 They will become places where the cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:41.319 Great, thank you, Vanessa. 00:04:41.779 --> 00:04:50.939 Before I turn to God's word, Reed and Emily say that they have a few items that they are looking to pass on before they fly out. 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:59.120 So if you need a baby car seat or a guitar to practice on or a keyboard to practice on, you can go and speak to them. 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.819 But, you know, go and wish them well as well. 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:05.120 Don't just go, hey, about that car seat. 00:05:05.339 --> 00:05:06.719 Yeah, instead, go and wish them well. 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:08.639 Let me pray as we come to God's word. 00:05:08.699 --> 00:05:09.040 Let me pray. 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:16.879 Heavenly Father, we want to pray now as we come to your word. 00:05:17.019 --> 00:05:21.399 We thank you that you love to speak through your words. 00:05:21.719 --> 00:05:25.560 And we pray, please, that you would do that now as we turn to it. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:31.500 Lord, there are things in our hearts and our minds which would distract us. 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:37.899 We pray, please, that you would help us to set those to one side, that we might think on you and ponder on your word carefully. 00:05:38.699 --> 00:05:40.100 Lord, do us good. 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:41.139 Bring yourself glory. 00:05:41.779 --> 00:05:43.600 Today, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:44.740 Amen. 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:57.519 I have sat in enough sermons and been where you are enough times to know that basically what happens at this point in the service, 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:04.439 if you've got any kind of reasonable sensitivity to the idea that God might address you through his word, 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:10.740 what comes to your mind now is, I wonder what God is going to say about this. 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:13.900 Insert whatever trouble it is that you're facing. 00:06:14.960 --> 00:06:19.660 So we're all sat here, aren't we, with a myriad of different things on our minds and our hearts. 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:26.900 Some of us here are worried about work, perhaps the absence of work, or maybe the presence of too much work. 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:33.600 Some of us are worried about different relationships, worried about our children, worried about our parents. 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:38.640 Maybe there's a relationship struggle that we have. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:44.240 Perhaps we're worried about our health, or our money, or our housing, or our visa. 00:06:46.780 --> 00:06:50.360 None of us are sitting here just blank canvases, are we? 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:52.080 None of us are neutral. 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:54.800 It's just not how the human mind works. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:01.379 But as we come to Isaiah 7 this morning, I think what we will find is, as we are thinking, 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:06.500 I wonder what God has to say about this, whatever this is, 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:10.420 I think as we come to Isaiah 7, we will find something quite surprising, 00:07:10.980 --> 00:07:16.780 which is that Isaiah 7 will suggest to us, or better still, God will suggest to us through Isaiah 7, 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:22.720 that this, the thing that's on our mind, whatever that is, might not actually be the real problem. 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:28.720 Your relationship status, your mental health, your financial situation, 00:07:29.760 --> 00:07:33.540 might not be directly addressed by God's Word this morning. 00:07:34.280 --> 00:07:41.280 Not because God does not care, but rather because Isaiah 7, I think, is going to show us 00:07:41.280 --> 00:07:47.240 that the big struggle in our life, that the real issue, the thing that should be on our minds 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:49.960 as we come to God's Word, is something else. 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:54.779 The question really for us this morning is, will we trust the Lord? 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:57.620 That's the question behind all other issues. 00:07:58.259 --> 00:07:58.859 Will we? 00:07:59.579 --> 00:08:02.659 Whatever it is that we're facing, whoever it is that we are, 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.599 whatever our problem or our trouble, 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:11.199 will we exercise faith, confidence, trust in the God who made us? 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.039 That's the question behind all questions. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:21.360 Now, you might think that the best way to ask that question is for it just to be stated in a kind of like survey thing. 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:25.180 So you would hope, you would pick up your Bible this morning, you would open it, and it would say, 00:08:25.760 --> 00:08:33.039 do you trust the Lord to tick A for yes, tick no for B, tick C for I require some further information before making such a decision. 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:39.219 But as you open the Bible, you find yourself in a story, true story, but a story nonetheless. 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:46.199 And this story is meant to move you to put your faith and your trust in the Lord. 00:08:46.839 --> 00:08:51.059 And so what you need to do, you need to exercise a little bit of thought and care this morning 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:55.439 to understand the story that we might hear the message of the story. 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:59.300 So, let's kind of strap in and have a look. 00:09:00.040 --> 00:09:02.600 Verse 1, let me try and retell the story to you. 00:09:03.280 --> 00:09:04.340 Verse 1 starts, 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:08.380 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah. 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.240 Now that means if you were with us last week, 00:09:11.380 --> 00:09:15.620 last week we heard in the year that King Uzziah died, chapter 6, verse 1, 00:09:16.040 --> 00:09:20.920 we now have jumped through the reign of King Uzziah's son, that is Jotham, 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:27.099 into the middle of his grandson's reign, which is King Ahaz. 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:32.659 Now, King Ahaz, you might know or you will find out, is not a very good king. 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:36.599 You'll find bits of that in this week's passage, but if you want to read the whole story, 00:09:36.719 --> 00:09:38.139 you can turn to 2 Kings 16. 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:40.159 Not now, but another point. 00:09:41.259 --> 00:09:45.500 The point here is that King Ahaz is ruling the southern kingdom of Judah 00:09:45.500 --> 00:09:51.860 from the city of Jerusalem during a political military crisis of gigantic proportions. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:55.419 There are seismic shifts in global power going on, 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.720 and King Ahaz is about to be blown around by them. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:00.860 Take a look at the rest of verse 1. 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:05.600 King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Romalia, king of Israel, 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:10.879 marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:16.200 Now, those names might not mean much to you, goodness, that was hard to say. 00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:21.480 But King Rezin of Aram, which is Syria, and Pekah son of Romalia, king of Israel, 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:25.620 are the rulers of two other small nation states to the north of Judah. 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.799 If you don't know the history or geography very well, don't worry, 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:33.179 I've put a map on the screen, and here you can see those three different nations. 00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:37.559 You have Judah in the south, Israel in the blue, just north of it, 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:41.819 Aram also called Syria, and then the Assyrian Empire. 00:10:42.699 --> 00:10:47.719 Judah is ruled by Ahaz, Israel is ruled by Pekah, 00:10:48.439 --> 00:10:53.539 and Aram is ruled by, look down at it, Rezin. 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:55.039 There you go, Steve, you got it right. 00:10:55.899 --> 00:11:01.139 Now, what's happening is Assyria has been taken over by a new king 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:04.479 who has great ambitions for the Assyrian Empire. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:09.920 His name is not mentioned in this passage, but his name is Tiglath Pelzer III, 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:12.480 and he wants to take over the region. 00:11:13.139 --> 00:11:13.820 So what do you do? 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:18.220 If you're a smaller nation state and there's a big empire on the march, 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:19.340 what are you going to do? 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:22.039 Well, you're going to gather together to form an alliance, 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:26.080 and that's what Syria and Israel have done, or Aram and Israel have done. 00:11:26.560 --> 00:11:28.320 Ephraim, as it's also sometimes called. 00:11:28.800 --> 00:11:33.240 They've joined forces in order to stand against the oppression of the Assyrians, 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:34.279 which is coming their way. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:37.080 It's maybe like a sort of NATO of its time. 00:11:38.180 --> 00:11:41.899 Now, unsurprisingly, what does an alliance of two nations want to do 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:43.200 to strengthen their alliance? 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:46.680 They want to become an alliance of three nations. 00:11:46.779 --> 00:11:50.580 So they want Judah to join the alliance in order for them to become stronger. 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:56.320 But, for reasons that are not explained in our passage, Judah refuses to join. 00:11:56.840 --> 00:11:59.259 And so Syria and Israel decide, 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:03.920 if Judah will not willingly or voluntarily join our alliance, 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:06.120 we will make them join by force. 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:10.400 So they send out their armies to march on Jerusalem 00:12:10.400 --> 00:12:14.740 in an attempt to install their own king, if you look down at verse 6, 00:12:14.860 --> 00:12:17.480 in Jerusalem, who would support the alliance. 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:20.360 Now, that's the politics, right? 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.759 Judah are facing the threat from Syria and Israel 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:27.500 as they try and force them to join an alliance against Syria. 00:12:28.539 --> 00:12:30.139 But verse 2 tells you the emotions. 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:31.600 Look at verse 2. 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:35.500 Now, the house of David, that is the king's house, 00:12:36.340 --> 00:12:39.480 was told that Aram has allied itself with Ephraim. 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:42.039 That is, Syria has allied itself with Israel. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.179 And so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:47.639 as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 00:12:49.099 --> 00:12:51.899 Now, ancient political struggles might not seem very much to you. 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:54.120 It seems a very long way off and very distant. 00:12:54.439 --> 00:12:57.659 But if you try for a second just to think your way into Ahaz's shoes 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:00.199 or the shoes of any citizen of Judah, 00:13:00.339 --> 00:13:01.799 it was a massive problem. 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:02.980 Right? 00:13:03.459 --> 00:13:05.399 Israel and Judah have been allied. 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:07.759 They were one nation under David and Solomon. 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:08.179 Right? 00:13:08.659 --> 00:13:09.039 They are brothers. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:09.679 They are brothers. 00:13:10.579 --> 00:13:13.339 But now what has happened is that the nation of Israel 00:13:13.339 --> 00:13:15.179 has turned on the nation of Judah 00:13:15.179 --> 00:13:17.459 and has threatened the holy city itself. 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.899 Now, this isn't entirely alien, is it, I suppose? 00:13:22.319 --> 00:13:26.099 We live in our own times of political upheaval, 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:27.860 nations raging against one another. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:31.039 We are told, aren't we, on the news that war with Russia 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:33.559 is more likely than not now. 00:13:34.339 --> 00:13:36.699 And in subtle ways, it might be happening already, we're told. 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:40.500 The war in Iran is making it more difficult to afford fuel. 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:44.020 The crisis in the Middle East is sending refugees around the Western world. 00:13:44.140 --> 00:13:45.460 And all of it is unsettling. 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:48.980 And that's what's going on here in Isaiah 7, 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:51.480 but just like on an even bigger scale. 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:54.580 And the effect then is huge. 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:57.440 Isaiah describes their hearts as like trees in the wind. 00:13:57.560 --> 00:13:59.460 It's a vivid description, isn't it? 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:01.879 The house of David and Ahaz are in a flap. 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:03.660 They're just being blown around. 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:08.139 And into Ahaz's flap, the Lord sends Isaiah and his son 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:09.799 to go and speak to him in verse 3. 00:14:10.219 --> 00:14:12.459 God tells Isaiah exactly where he'll find Ahaz, 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:14.899 which I imagine is important because I think Ahaz 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:16.819 is probably keeping a low profile right now 00:14:16.819 --> 00:14:18.639 because he doesn't want anyone to know where he is. 00:14:19.319 --> 00:14:21.919 And in verse 4, God's message is told to him. 00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:22.399 He says, 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:38.039 A guy called Alec Mateer, who's written a famous commentary on Isaiah, 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.059 paraphrases it like this. 00:14:40.059 --> 00:14:43.299 Do not be afraid of these two fag ends, Aram and Israel. 00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:46.719 Aram and Israel are just like smoldering cigarettes. 00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:48.379 There are nothing to worry about. 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.459 They are fiercely angry though. 00:14:52.239 --> 00:14:53.559 And God knows what they're planning. 00:14:54.239 --> 00:14:54.899 God is not saying, 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:56.079 Hey, listen, don't worry. 00:14:56.359 --> 00:14:57.419 Everything's going to be okay. 00:14:57.639 --> 00:14:58.439 They're nothing. 00:14:59.319 --> 00:15:00.639 What he's saying is, 00:15:00.939 --> 00:15:03.000 not that nothing bad or hard is going to happen. 00:15:03.079 --> 00:15:03.699 What he's saying is, 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:05.500 even though it is difficult, 00:15:05.639 --> 00:15:07.159 you do not need to lose heart. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:08.239 Do not be terrified. 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:09.960 Keep calm in the midst of it. 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:13.279 The implication here is that Ahaz, 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:15.639 it should be possible for you, Ahaz, 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:20.039 to see these people as these smoldering wicks 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:22.419 because I have some information for you 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:24.700 which will make you see them differently 00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:26.120 to how you see them right now. 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:30.000 There is something else going on behind or above, 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:30.600 if you like, 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:32.620 what is seen by you. 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.820 So Isaiah continues, verse 7. 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:38.420 This is what the sovereign Lord says. 00:15:38.540 --> 00:15:39.560 It will not take place. 00:15:39.640 --> 00:15:40.420 It will not happen. 00:15:40.540 --> 00:15:41.900 For the head of Aram is Damascus. 00:15:41.980 --> 00:15:43.379 The head of Damascus is only resin. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:44.980 Within 65 years, 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:47.000 Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:49.600 The head of Ephraim is Syria, 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:52.060 and the head of Syria is only Romalia's son. 00:15:52.560 --> 00:15:54.240 If you do not stand firm in your faith, 00:15:54.280 --> 00:15:55.460 you will not stand at all. 00:15:56.260 --> 00:15:57.120 This is it, right? 00:15:57.660 --> 00:16:00.060 This is why Ahaz should be calm and unafraid. 00:16:00.059 --> 00:16:02.459 It's not because nothing terrible is going to happen 00:16:02.459 --> 00:16:03.439 or it's not going to be difficult. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:06.379 It's because the power of these people 00:16:06.379 --> 00:16:08.659 is really only the power of men. 00:16:09.459 --> 00:16:12.419 Resin and Pekka are just ordinary blokes. 00:16:12.959 --> 00:16:14.019 The real power, 00:16:14.439 --> 00:16:15.599 the real place to stand, 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.199 the real rock in the world is faith, 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:20.119 not a political alliance. 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:21.719 Promises, 00:16:22.439 --> 00:16:23.139 God's promises, 00:16:23.699 --> 00:16:25.059 are found by faith, 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:27.979 are the solid ground in a shaky world. 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:29.259 So stay calm. 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:33.300 Let me just try and illustrate it, 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:35.200 just to give you a little break from the story for a moment. 00:16:35.340 --> 00:16:40.139 Imagine that I have two buckets of balls at the front, 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:41.620 two buckets of white balls. 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:43.940 One of them is a bucket of ping pong balls, 00:16:44.340 --> 00:16:47.120 and the other is a bucket of golf balls. 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:52.180 Which ones are you afraid of me throwing at you, right? 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:55.440 Well, you're afraid of the golf balls, aren't you? 00:16:55.460 --> 00:16:56.000 Not the ping pong. 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:57.279 I mean, I could throw a ping pong ball, 00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:59.480 but I might be able to hit someone on the front row, 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.039 but they probably wouldn't even feel it, right? 00:17:02.439 --> 00:17:03.720 If you're sitting on the back row, 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:04.859 no hope at all. 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:06.460 But a golf ball, 00:17:07.559 --> 00:17:09.660 I mean, you do some damage with a golf ball. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:10.940 I could smash windows. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:13.359 I could probably knock a few people unconscious 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:14.160 with some golf balls. 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:15.680 I'm not really dreaming of doing that, 00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:16.599 but imagine I could. 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:19.079 Here is the point, right? 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:20.059 God is saying, 00:17:20.379 --> 00:17:21.079 listen, Ahas, 00:17:21.079 --> 00:17:24.319 you're worried about ping pong balls, 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.619 but you live in a world where golf balls exist. 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:29.899 You should worry about those instead. 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:31.099 That's the point. 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:35.000 Don't worry about resin and Romalia's son. 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:37.279 They only have ping pong balls. 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:39.759 I've got golf balls. 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:41.639 Worry about that instead. 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:44.980 God alone is the real rock, 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:47.019 and it's by faith in him. 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:50.799 It's like when Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 10, 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:52.680 do not be afraid of those who kill the body, 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:53.879 but cannot kill the soul. 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:56.839 Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy 00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:58.879 both body and soul in hell. 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:01.299 That's the one you should be afraid of. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:03.740 And that's Isaiah's message to Ahas. 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.019 Do you see what's happening here? 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:08.700 If Ahas was sat in our sermon this morning, 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:10.440 he'd have come in and he'd be going, 00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:12.640 okay, I want to hear something about 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.380 what to do in this global political crisis. 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:15.400 Please tell me what to do. 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:17.440 Please tell me what to do. 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:19.980 And what he hears is that 00:18:19.980 --> 00:18:22.500 the political problem isn't really the problem, Ahas. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:24.720 The real problem is your faith. 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:27.299 The absence of your faith. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.240 The big question is not, 00:18:29.380 --> 00:18:30.740 will the Northern Alliance win? 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:32.039 The big question is, 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:33.720 will you trust the Lord regardless? 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:34.420 of what they do? 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:36.920 Will you believe in God's promise? 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:38.920 Ahas, will you bank on the fact 00:18:38.920 --> 00:18:39.960 that God knows what he's doing 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:41.539 and he will keep his covenant with David 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:42.900 even when all looks lost? 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:45.240 Now, if you come back to the story, 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:46.940 you'll find that God is really determined 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:48.579 for Ahas to learn that lesson. 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:50.980 And he's willing to do anything he can 00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:52.779 to persuade Ahas to trust in him. 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:54.359 Look down at verse 10. 00:18:55.120 --> 00:18:56.599 Again, the Lord spoke to Ahas, 00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:59.319 ask the Lord your God for a sign, 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.039 whether in the deepest depths or the highest heights. 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:03.680 Do you see what God is saying? 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:06.680 Listen, ask me anything and I will prove this to you. 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:10.200 Ask me anything that this is the real dynamic 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:11.180 of what's going on in the world 00:19:11.180 --> 00:19:13.319 and I will move heaven and earth 00:19:13.319 --> 00:19:14.559 to persuade you that this is true. 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:16.680 Ahas is not interested. 00:19:16.839 --> 00:19:18.140 He tells God that despite the offer, 00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.380 he doesn't want to put the Lord to the test in verse 12. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.539 Ahas incredibly thinks he's more spiritual 00:19:23.539 --> 00:19:24.579 than even God himself. 00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:26.559 And Isaiah is not impressed. 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:29.680 Wonders why Ahas would want to try God's patience 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:31.759 in verse 13 when things are already bad enough. 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:35.119 And so he says God will give him a sign anyway. 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:36.140 Verse 14. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:37.099 Look down at it. 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:39.619 Therefore the Lord himself will give you, 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:41.000 you there is plural, 00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:42.480 he will give the people, 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:43.720 the house of David, 00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:44.359 a sign. 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:46.879 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son 00:19:46.879 --> 00:19:47.879 and will call him Emmanuel. 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:50.000 He will be eating curds and honey. 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:52.359 He will be weaned when he knows enough 00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:54.019 to reject the wrong and choose the right. 00:19:54.019 --> 00:19:56.019 For before the boy knows enough 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:57.639 to reject the wrong and choose the right, 00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:59.139 the land of the two kings you dread 00:19:59.139 --> 00:19:59.980 will be laid waste. 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:02.759 It's an amazing promise, isn't it? 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:04.339 God tells the house of David, 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:06.059 don't be afraid. 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:08.019 A young woman, a virgin, 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:09.480 will have a child called Emmanuel. 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.059 And before that child reaches maturity, 00:20:12.259 --> 00:20:13.400 these two kings will be gone. 00:20:13.579 --> 00:20:14.720 They'll last no time at all. 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:17.920 Now we'll think of the bigger implications 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:18.879 of the promise in a moment. 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.560 But notice it's not actually all good news for Ahaz. 00:20:22.040 --> 00:20:24.280 Because he's not yet willing to trust the Lord, 00:20:24.840 --> 00:20:27.620 the big issue of his lack of faith has not gone away. 00:20:28.120 --> 00:20:29.940 He's still worried about ping pong balls 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:31.000 in a golf ball world. 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:33.120 He's forgotten, hasn't he, 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:35.140 that he is not subject just to the will of men, 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.020 but the will of God. 00:20:36.520 --> 00:20:38.580 He's insensitive to this great reality 00:20:38.580 --> 00:20:40.880 that his greatest danger is not a military defeat 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:41.780 from the Northern Alliance, 00:20:41.880 --> 00:20:43.700 but a spiritual defeat before God. 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:45.900 Because he's not seen that, 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.700 so Ahaz's perpetual refusal to trust 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:50.180 then the Lord will bring a worse judgment. 00:20:51.059 --> 00:20:51.860 Verse 17, 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.160 the Lord will bring on you and your people 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:55.819 and on the house of your father, 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:59.420 a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah, 00:20:59.580 --> 00:21:01.240 he will bring the king of Assyria. 00:21:02.819 --> 00:21:04.380 Now, you perhaps don't notice here, 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:06.319 but there's a double blow here for Ahaz. 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:09.600 What we find out at other points in the story 00:21:09.600 --> 00:21:10.539 is that Ahaz, 00:21:11.120 --> 00:21:13.680 because he doesn't want to join with Syria and Israel 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:15.400 to form an alliance against Assyria, 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:17.480 he thinks, because he thinks he's a bit clever, 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.500 he goes, I'm going to send some money to Assyria instead. 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:24.519 I'm going to make friends with the superpower, 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:27.039 so I don't need to worry about this alliance, 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:29.079 because I'm going to go right to the very top. 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:32.440 But actually, it turns out that is a terrible move, 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:34.360 and putting his trust in Assyria, 00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:35.900 instead of putting his trust in the Lord, 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:37.660 is turned back on him, 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:41.680 so that Assyria becomes the means of God's judgment against him. 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:44.740 God will use their army like a razor in his hand, 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.900 shaving Ahaz's head, 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:49.900 legs if you've got an old NIV, 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:51.900 private parts if you've got a new NIV, 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:54.700 because they lost their bashfulness somewhere along the way, 00:21:55.080 --> 00:21:55.880 and beard. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:21:59.060 In fact, this conquest is so severe 00:21:59.060 --> 00:22:00.120 that by the end of the chapter, 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:01.820 there are no longer any crops. 00:22:02.560 --> 00:22:05.100 You know, you read that bit about the cows eating curds and honey, 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:06.000 you think, oh, maybe that's okay. 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:08.279 That is because Jerusalem and Judah 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:10.579 have turned into like a kind of wilderness grazing land, 00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:12.940 and they're only able to keep cattle, 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:14.240 and they're not able to plant crops, 00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:17.039 because there are no young men to keep the fields anymore. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:19.380 See, here's the point. 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.500 If I can try and summarize the point of the story briefly, 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:22.599 Ahaz is worried. 00:22:24.299 --> 00:22:27.140 He's terrified of ping-pong balls 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:30.119 in a world ruled by a golf ball god. 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:35.480 And he should feel not threatened, 00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:37.240 by the Northern Alliance, 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:38.400 and run to the Lord. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.579 But he runs to Assyria instead. 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:43.640 And Assyria, the place of his trust, 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:45.240 becomes the place of his defeat. 00:22:46.140 --> 00:22:48.740 As Assyria not only destroy vast swathes of Judah, 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:51.859 but also destroy the very place of his confidence and hope. 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:55.099 Now that's the story, right? 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:57.059 I hope you've been able to track along with most of the detail. 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:59.240 If it's not all clear, don't worry too much. 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:00.779 But you know, don't you, 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:03.440 that Isaiah 7 is not just there to teach you a history lesson. 00:23:03.859 --> 00:23:05.539 It's to speak to you. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.019 Now I want to suggest to you, 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:08.460 you know that, not just in theory, 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.759 but you know it in reality, 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:14.880 because verse 14 is not really written directly just to Ahaz, is it? 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:18.339 In verse 14, you are told to look out for a child. 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:19.019 Yeah? 00:23:19.420 --> 00:23:21.519 A virgin will be with child, 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:23.039 and you will call him Emmanuel. 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:26.039 A child is going to be a sign. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:27.920 Now in next week's passage, 00:23:28.059 --> 00:23:33.059 we'll find that Isaiah's wife gives birth to a child called Meher Shalal Hashbas. 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:36.019 And before he grows to the age of maturity, 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:39.519 Aram and Israel are defeated by Assyria. 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.799 But that's not the only meaning of this verse, is it? 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:46.059 Because Matthew picks up this verse, 00:23:46.399 --> 00:23:46.899 and he says, 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:51.100 listen, this baby that Isaiah was telling you to look forward to, 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:54.280 is not actually Meher Shalal Hashbas. 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:55.500 It's not him. 00:23:56.220 --> 00:23:58.880 There is another virgin, young woman, 00:23:59.259 --> 00:24:02.000 a real virgin this time, 00:24:02.360 --> 00:24:03.660 who will be with child, 00:24:03.800 --> 00:24:05.440 and the name will not be Hashbas, 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:06.840 the name will be Jesus, 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:07.960 Emmanuel, 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:09.779 God with you. 00:24:11.400 --> 00:24:15.620 And so that means that the message of trust and faith 00:24:15.620 --> 00:24:17.480 is a message for you and me. 00:24:17.820 --> 00:24:20.120 So let me give you two applications as we finish. 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:21.380 The first one is this. 00:24:22.019 --> 00:24:25.259 God moved heaven and earth for you to trust in him. 00:24:28.360 --> 00:24:30.299 You know, you and I might be sitting here 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:32.240 hoping that God would move heaven and earth 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:34.220 to help me find a new job, 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:35.180 or a new partner, 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:37.420 or bail me out of financial trouble. 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:38.519 And when he doesn't, 00:24:38.600 --> 00:24:40.519 you might assume God doesn't really care. 00:24:43.259 --> 00:24:45.740 But here we find that God is moving heaven and earth 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:47.420 for a different purpose for you, 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:50.920 which is that you might see who he is 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:52.079 and what he is doing. 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:55.720 So literally, right, in that promise, 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:56.559 God the Son, 00:24:57.079 --> 00:24:59.779 who is of one essence with the Father and the Spirit, 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:01.920 puts on human flesh, 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.920 is born as a baby through the power of the Spirit 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:06.440 in the womb of the Virgin Mary, 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:09.759 and literally becomes Emmanuel, 00:25:10.120 --> 00:25:11.700 God with us. 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:13.480 So that in the midst of our trouble, 00:25:13.580 --> 00:25:14.700 whatever that trouble might be, 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:17.759 not only is God not distant or divorced or disinterested, 00:25:18.080 --> 00:25:21.340 but God is with us and for us, 00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:23.840 knowing and seeing and understanding. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:25.399 And also, 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:27.199 in his humanity, 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:29.439 achieving something for us 00:25:29.439 --> 00:25:31.679 that goes way beyond problem solving. 00:25:32.459 --> 00:25:33.379 He comes and goes, 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:36.179 I will live the life that you should have lived, 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:37.299 but did not live. 00:25:37.639 --> 00:25:40.079 I will die the death that you deserve, 00:25:40.959 --> 00:25:42.220 so that you can be forgiven. 00:25:43.259 --> 00:25:45.919 Just think of the enormity of this for a moment. 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:47.620 You know, 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:51.100 this Christian claim is so huge 00:25:51.100 --> 00:25:53.200 that our Muslim friends don't imagine 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:55.400 that it could even possibly be true. 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:57.740 It's so extraordinary, 00:25:57.880 --> 00:25:58.960 it seems ridiculous to them. 00:25:59.200 --> 00:25:59.980 But here it is, 00:26:00.100 --> 00:26:01.080 in Isaiah 7, 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:01.779 in writing, 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:07.680 God intends to dwell with his people. 00:26:08.300 --> 00:26:10.900 Not simply just to save us or to bless us, 00:26:11.100 --> 00:26:13.920 but to literally be God with us. 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:17.279 And he moves heaven and earth to do that, 00:26:17.580 --> 00:26:18.600 to show you that, 00:26:18.700 --> 00:26:20.220 to invite you to believe that, 00:26:20.300 --> 00:26:21.860 to give you a taste of it 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:23.560 in the first coming of Christ, 00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:26.840 and then to live through the chaos of this world, 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:28.200 trusting in him 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:32.019 that you might be with him eternally. 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:37.120 I wonder if you can imagine 00:26:37.120 --> 00:26:39.340 that Ahaz comes to see you 00:26:39.340 --> 00:26:40.900 for a counseling session. 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:44.600 He comes into your office 00:26:44.600 --> 00:26:45.700 or your front room 00:26:45.700 --> 00:26:46.720 or you sit down with him 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.860 in a coffee shop. 00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:49.860 And he sits down, 00:26:49.940 --> 00:26:50.220 he says, 00:26:50.300 --> 00:26:52.120 I've observed something 00:26:52.120 --> 00:26:52.880 over the last few days. 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:55.000 My Apple Watch has been telling me 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:56.259 I've had terrible night's sleep. 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:57.940 Constantly. 00:26:58.759 --> 00:27:00.900 I'm getting those pings from my watch 00:27:00.900 --> 00:27:01.940 that tell me that my heart 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:03.820 is all over the place. 00:27:04.580 --> 00:27:05.720 I'm really worried. 00:27:06.560 --> 00:27:08.019 I think I might be sick. 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:12.160 And he regales the story to you 00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:13.059 of the Northern Alliance 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:13.720 and all that sort of stuff. 00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:15.000 And you're down with that 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:15.599 because you know that 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:16.900 you've understood all that, right? 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:18.559 And he says at the end, 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:20.359 what should I do? 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:22.639 What should I do? 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:24.940 Please tell me what I need to do. 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:27.000 And you say to him, 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:27.139 listen, 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:29.299 this is what you need to do, Ahaz. 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:31.980 Get a pen and piece of paper out 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:33.420 because this is going to be complicated. 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:34.259 You need to write this down. 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:35.460 If you're going to remember what to do, 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:36.339 you need to write it down. 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:38.740 So he gets a pen and paper 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:39.279 out of his pocket, 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:40.099 ready to write it down. 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:40.740 And he says, 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:41.000 listen, 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:42.059 what is it? 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.439 Just tell me what is it? 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:44.099 What do I need to do? 00:27:44.199 --> 00:27:44.399 He says, 00:27:44.439 --> 00:27:44.939 here it is. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:46.599 This is what you need to do, Ahaz. 00:27:48.379 --> 00:27:48.659 Nothing. 00:27:51.539 --> 00:27:51.819 Nothing. 00:27:53.139 --> 00:27:53.919 That's what you've got to do. 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:56.399 What do you mean I've got to do nothing? 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:57.599 Nothing. 00:27:58.519 --> 00:27:59.319 That's what you've got to do. 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:00.379 Nothing. 00:28:00.379 --> 00:28:00.500 Nothing. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:03.439 You have to trust the Lord. 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:07.200 Maybe I could put it this way to you. 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:07.680 What if, 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:09.000 for you and for me, 00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:11.620 the struggles and the difficulties that we face 00:28:11.620 --> 00:28:14.400 are not designed to destroy us, 00:28:15.100 --> 00:28:17.660 but are designed by God to walk us towards 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:19.019 what is most important, 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:22.160 which is that we might trust in him, 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:24.380 put our faith in him, 00:28:24.840 --> 00:28:27.100 that we might have fellowship with him. 00:28:27.099 --> 00:28:28.519 You know, 00:28:28.539 --> 00:28:32.279 what if God is allowing the Northern Alliance 00:28:32.279 --> 00:28:35.279 to lob their ping-pong balls of poor health 00:28:35.279 --> 00:28:37.579 or financial insecurity or loneliness 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:40.719 to bring you to the solid realities 00:28:40.719 --> 00:28:43.219 of who he is and what he is doing? 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:44.859 You know, 00:28:44.879 --> 00:28:47.099 what if God wants to address the trouble in our hearts, 00:28:47.159 --> 00:28:48.839 in our minds that we've come here thinking of? 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:50.359 What if he wants to fix that, 00:28:50.599 --> 00:28:52.740 not so much by directly changing it, 00:28:52.779 --> 00:28:54.459 but by eclipsing it with something 00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:57.059 that is bigger and grander and greater 00:28:57.059 --> 00:28:58.539 than any trouble that you're facing? 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:04.140 He wants you to be with him eternally. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.360 And he wants you to have a taste of that 00:29:07.360 --> 00:29:09.700 in the man Emmanuel, 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:11.519 God with us, 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:13.019 Jesus Christ. 00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:15.700 Paul, 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:16.720 in Romans 8, 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:18.319 writes a sort of theological statement 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:19.960 of what Isaiah 7 is telling us, 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:20.259 doesn't he? 00:29:20.259 --> 00:29:20.839 He writes, 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:22.139 Romans 8 verse 31, 00:29:22.279 --> 00:29:23.059 what shall we say 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:24.799 in response to these things? 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:26.299 If God is for us, 00:29:27.160 --> 00:29:28.480 who can be against us? 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:29.920 He's not saying there, 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:30.119 is he, 00:29:30.139 --> 00:29:32.019 that nothing will be against you? 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:32.480 No, 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:33.400 what he's saying is, 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:34.660 if God is for you, 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:35.960 everyone against you 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:37.400 is just throwing ping-pong balls. 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.800 He who did not spare his own son 00:29:41.800 --> 00:29:43.120 but gave him up for us all, 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:45.660 how will he not also along with him 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:47.300 graciously give us all things? 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:51.360 God has moved heaven and earth 00:29:51.360 --> 00:29:52.500 that you might trust in him, 00:29:52.860 --> 00:29:54.180 that you might do nothing. 00:29:56.120 --> 00:29:56.600 Secondly, 00:29:56.820 --> 00:29:57.180 finally, 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:59.440 if you will not stand by faith, 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:00.820 you will not stand at all. 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:02.400 If the first point is about 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:03.460 what God will do 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:04.200 or has done 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:04.940 so that you might put 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:06.039 your faith in him, 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:07.519 this second application 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:08.400 is really the warning 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:08.980 of the passage, 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:10.420 is what will happen 00:30:10.420 --> 00:30:11.340 if you refuse? 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.360 And that's the end of verse 9 00:30:13.360 --> 00:30:13.940 that we were looking at 00:30:13.940 --> 00:30:14.420 with the children. 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:15.580 If you do not stand firm 00:30:15.580 --> 00:30:16.059 in your faith, 00:30:16.100 --> 00:30:17.200 you will not stand at all. 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:18.740 This is the point, 00:30:18.799 --> 00:30:18.980 isn't it? 00:30:19.140 --> 00:30:19.860 Isaiah's point 00:30:19.860 --> 00:30:21.820 is that standing by faith 00:30:21.820 --> 00:30:22.420 in God, 00:30:22.860 --> 00:30:24.299 in the God who is with us, 00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:24.980 Emmanuel, 00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:26.360 that is actually 00:30:26.360 --> 00:30:27.680 the only way 00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:29.620 to stand in this world. 00:30:30.580 --> 00:30:30.740 You know, 00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:32.600 if you live another way, 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:34.000 if you seek to stand 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:35.099 on something else 00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:36.279 or someone else, 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:39.339 you will not stand at all. 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:40.940 This is the warning 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:41.460 to Ahaz, 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:41.859 isn't it? 00:30:42.140 --> 00:30:42.799 You, Ahaz, 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:43.539 you could line up 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:44.920 all the political alliances 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:45.619 that you wanted. 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:47.480 You could be the most savvy 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:48.480 political operator 00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:49.240 in the world. 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:50.099 You could sign 00:30:50.099 --> 00:30:51.440 all the right political treaties, 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:53.039 but you will not stand 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.220 if you're not standing 00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:55.380 by faith in me. 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:57.440 And so it's true 00:30:57.440 --> 00:30:58.059 for you and me. 00:30:59.079 --> 00:30:59.259 You know, 00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:00.519 if you and I assume, 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:01.140 you know, 00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:02.359 even if you would call yourself 00:31:02.359 --> 00:31:03.299 a Christian this morning, 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:04.019 you assume that, 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:04.479 you know, 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:05.159 our faith in Christ, 00:31:05.219 --> 00:31:05.839 that's like a kind of 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:06.599 sweet addition 00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:07.839 to the edge of my life. 00:31:08.719 --> 00:31:09.079 I like, 00:31:09.159 --> 00:31:09.699 I've got quite, 00:31:09.779 --> 00:31:11.019 I've got most things down 00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:11.979 and I kind of, 00:31:12.159 --> 00:31:13.399 Jesus is kind of a nice 00:31:13.399 --> 00:31:14.000 thing to have on there. 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:14.859 It's nice to have something 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:15.419 to do on a Sunday. 00:31:15.419 --> 00:31:16.439 It's quite nice to come 00:31:16.439 --> 00:31:17.419 to a church on a Sunday 00:31:17.419 --> 00:31:18.279 and meet other people. 00:31:18.379 --> 00:31:19.099 I like the songs, 00:31:19.679 --> 00:31:19.959 you know, 00:31:20.019 --> 00:31:20.579 the preaching's not 00:31:20.579 --> 00:31:21.740 all that dull sometimes. 00:31:22.179 --> 00:31:22.439 And so, 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:22.719 you know, 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:24.339 I don't mind doing it. 00:31:26.339 --> 00:31:27.379 If that's what you think 00:31:27.379 --> 00:31:28.399 the Christian life is, 00:31:28.859 --> 00:31:29.779 you have misunderstood 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:30.639 it completely. 00:31:31.859 --> 00:31:32.799 Because actually, 00:31:32.899 --> 00:31:34.019 what we really need to see 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:35.180 is if we're standing 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:36.839 on career or family 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:38.000 or the need for justice 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:38.839 or whatever it is, 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:40.399 we haven't really understood 00:31:40.399 --> 00:31:42.299 that faith is the only 00:31:42.299 --> 00:31:43.279 place to stand. 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:45.299 It's the only way 00:31:45.299 --> 00:31:46.339 to stand in this world. 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:47.539 It's the only solid ground. 00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:48.680 Everything else 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:49.399 and everyone else 00:31:49.399 --> 00:31:50.220 will abandon you 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:50.680 in the end, 00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:52.259 if only in your final breath. 00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:54.180 It's interesting, 00:31:54.279 --> 00:31:54.460 isn't it, 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:55.039 the way that God 00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:56.359 teaches this to Ahaz 00:31:56.359 --> 00:31:57.139 over time 00:31:57.140 --> 00:31:58.160 is that actually 00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:59.220 he takes the thing 00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:00.420 that he was trusting in, 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:01.220 Assyria, 00:32:01.540 --> 00:32:03.020 and he turns it on him. 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:04.759 And so that actually 00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:06.380 the place of his confidence 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:07.120 and his hope 00:32:07.120 --> 00:32:08.640 became the means 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:09.360 of his justice 00:32:09.360 --> 00:32:10.340 and his punishments. 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:12.060 It's so often the way, 00:32:12.120 --> 00:32:12.500 isn't it? 00:32:12.840 --> 00:32:14.000 If you lean 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:15.740 and trust in your career 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:17.100 or your family 00:32:17.100 --> 00:32:18.440 or your friendships 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:19.620 or your money, 00:32:20.060 --> 00:32:21.240 what often the Lord 00:32:21.240 --> 00:32:22.440 will do to teach you 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:23.560 that that is a dumb way 00:32:23.560 --> 00:32:24.360 to live your life 00:32:24.360 --> 00:32:25.820 and certainly a dumb way 00:32:25.819 --> 00:32:26.559 to face eternity 00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:27.740 is who will turn it on you. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:33.119 I was thinking this week 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:34.439 our sister Joan 00:32:34.439 --> 00:32:35.720 who's not with us 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:36.639 on Sunday mornings anymore 00:32:36.639 --> 00:32:37.720 is living in a lovely 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:38.519 nursing home 00:32:38.519 --> 00:32:39.220 in Hampstead 00:32:39.220 --> 00:32:42.319 that is full of people 00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:42.980 who used to be 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:43.639 a big deal. 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:46.759 They all had great jobs, 00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:48.619 great careers, 00:32:50.059 --> 00:32:51.659 and no use to them now. 00:32:53.220 --> 00:32:54.319 Confused, many of them. 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:56.039 sitting in the same chair 00:32:56.039 --> 00:32:56.519 all day. 00:32:57.759 --> 00:32:57.939 You know, 00:32:58.019 --> 00:32:59.240 if your standing is that, 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:01.859 there's no place to stand. 00:33:03.079 --> 00:33:04.439 If your standing is your husband 00:33:04.439 --> 00:33:05.339 or your wife 00:33:05.339 --> 00:33:06.200 or your parents 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:06.980 or your children, 00:33:07.659 --> 00:33:08.819 what you need to understand 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:10.799 is that they are mere men 00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:11.899 or women 00:33:11.899 --> 00:33:13.539 and they will let you down. 00:33:14.639 --> 00:33:14.819 You know, 00:33:14.839 --> 00:33:15.399 I think you and I, 00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:16.539 we've been so trained, 00:33:16.659 --> 00:33:16.980 haven't we? 00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:18.700 And I think someone else 00:33:18.700 --> 00:33:19.259 could probably tell me 00:33:19.259 --> 00:33:19.960 why, 00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:20.180 why, 00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:21.539 but we've been so trained 00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:22.860 in kind of Western thought 00:33:22.860 --> 00:33:24.319 to think that it is 00:33:24.319 --> 00:33:25.660 only our five senses 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:26.640 that really are any 00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:27.460 kind of reliable 00:33:27.460 --> 00:33:29.299 resource of things 00:33:29.299 --> 00:33:30.200 that we can trust in. 00:33:30.340 --> 00:33:30.480 Yeah? 00:33:31.500 --> 00:33:32.400 If I try to list them, 00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:33.299 I might miss one hour 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:33.860 and get confused. 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:34.860 So you know what they are, 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:35.100 right? 00:33:36.500 --> 00:33:37.720 So we are used to thinking 00:33:37.720 --> 00:33:38.180 that faith, 00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:38.920 because it exists 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:40.160 outside of those, 00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:41.840 is therefore by necessity 00:33:41.840 --> 00:33:42.600 flimsy 00:33:42.600 --> 00:33:43.220 and weak 00:33:43.220 --> 00:33:44.400 and unsolid. 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.360 Faith is the kind of thing 00:33:46.360 --> 00:33:48.200 that certain people have, 00:33:48.200 --> 00:33:48.740 but it's a bit, 00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:49.360 you can't really, 00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:49.700 you know, 00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:50.480 it's like nailing jelly 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:50.880 to a wall, 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:51.840 you can't really be sure. 00:33:52.640 --> 00:33:53.880 But actually Isaiah 7 00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:55.220 says exactly the opposite, 00:33:55.620 --> 00:33:55.779 right? 00:33:55.840 --> 00:33:57.620 It says faith is the solid 00:33:57.620 --> 00:34:00.500 because God is the solid reality 00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:02.019 and he is the one 00:34:02.019 --> 00:34:03.000 who we are made for 00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:04.120 and the one whom we will face. 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:06.000 He is the only solid ground, 00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:08.639 not those other things. 00:34:10.059 --> 00:34:11.360 And because that's true, 00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:13.220 what does that mean for you? 00:34:14.420 --> 00:34:15.659 It means you need to do 00:34:15.659 --> 00:34:16.720 something really important 00:34:16.720 --> 00:34:17.599 as you leave here. 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:18.839 Well, 00:34:18.879 --> 00:34:19.659 you need to do it now. 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.500 You might want to write it down, 00:34:21.579 --> 00:34:21.699 okay, 00:34:21.739 --> 00:34:22.879 because it's really complicated. 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:24.179 Here it is. 00:34:24.379 --> 00:34:25.379 This is what you need to do. 00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:26.980 Nothing. 00:34:27.919 --> 00:34:28.279 Nothing. 00:34:30.019 --> 00:34:30.899 Trust the Lord. 00:34:32.039 --> 00:34:32.980 He loves you. 00:34:33.899 --> 00:34:35.639 He is for you in Christ 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:38.079 and will keep you 00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:38.759 until the day 00:34:38.759 --> 00:34:40.219 that you see him face to face. 00:34:40.879 --> 00:34:41.579 Let me pray. 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:41.679 Amen. 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:41.719 Amen. 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:41.719 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:41.719 00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:41.779 Amen. 00:34:41.779 --> 00:34:41.779 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:54.039 Heavenly Father, 00:34:55.039 --> 00:34:58.259 the most difficult thing 00:34:58.259 --> 00:35:00.639 is to do nothing 00:35:00.639 --> 00:35:03.179 and to trust in you. 00:35:03.179 --> 00:35:06.599 but we know from this story, 00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:07.679 we know from your word, 00:35:07.839 --> 00:35:10.460 we know that you alone 00:35:10.460 --> 00:35:11.859 are the solid reality 00:35:11.859 --> 00:35:12.759 in this world. 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:16.440 and so we put our faith 00:35:16.440 --> 00:35:17.480 and our trust in you. 00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:20.400 We say that we're sorry 00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:23.040 that we trust in other flimsy, 00:35:23.700 --> 00:35:26.720 hopeless things 00:35:26.719 --> 00:35:29.139 and we don't trust in you. 00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:31.039 Please forgive us 00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:31.919 and show us mercy. 00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:34.179 And please help us 00:35:34.179 --> 00:35:35.000 to leave here 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:36.719 and do nothing, 00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:39.000 trusting in you 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:40.659 to do all things well. 00:35:41.439 --> 00:35:42.459 In Jesus' name. 00:35:42.460 --> 00:35:43.659 Amen.