church. Turn with me and your Bibles to Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 7. In the Pew Bibles, it is page
535. This morning is the first Sunday of Advent. That is the season where we anticipate celebrating
the coming of Christ leading up to Christmas, and we're beginning a new sermon series on
Messianic prophecies from the book of Isaiah. So this month in December, we'll be looking at how
the prophecy of Isaiah points forward to the person of Christ. Isaiah lived and prophesied in
the 8th century BC, about 700 years before the coming of Jesus into the world, and yet the New
Testament quotes from the book of Isaiah over 75 times. And what we want to do this month is look
at just five of those texts from Isaiah that are quoted or alluded to in the New Testament
in reference to Jesus. So we'll consider how Isaiah's words shed light on the significance of
Jesus' birth, Jesus' ministry, Jesus' character, Jesus' suffering, and Jesus' mission. The chapters
we'll be focusing on are listed on the blue sermon cards in the pews, so if you want to take one of
those home with you, feel free to do that if that helps you to prepare for Sundays. This morning,
we're focusing on the prophecy that is in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, but I want to read chapter 7
beginning at verse 1 so that we can see some of the bigger context of the verse that we'll be looking
at today. So join me, read with me from Isaiah chapter 7, beginning at verse 1.
In the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin, the king of Syria,
and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it,
but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, Syria is in league
with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake
before the wind. And the Lord said to Isaiah, go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear Jashub, your son,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the washer's field, and say to him,
be careful, be quiet, do not fear. And do not let your heart be faint because of these two
smoldering stumps of firebrands at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
Because Syria with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah has devised evil against you saying,
let us go up against Judah and terrify it and let us conquer it for ourselves and set up the son of
Tabeal as king in the midst of it. Thus says the Lord God, it shall not stand and it shall not come
to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within 65 years,
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of
Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.
Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ask a sign of the Lord, your God, let it be deep as Sheol,
as the grave or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask and I will not put the Lord to the test.
And he, that is Isaiah said,
hear then, O house of David, is it too little for you to weary men that you weary my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son
and shall call his name Emmanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and
choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose
two kings you dread will be deserted. And the Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon
your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah,
the king of Assyria.
What is it that strikes fear into your heart?
Maybe it's something personal.
Could be a medical diagnosis or a relational conflict or financial stresses or looming deadlines.
Perhaps those final exams and papers that are due next week or the project that your boss wanted done yesterday.
Maybe you're afraid because you have enemies.
You have people who seem to be out to get you.
And you don't feel like you have a way to defend yourself against them.
Or maybe it's not just a personal crisis.
Maybe it's a family crisis.
Maybe you're worried about your kids.
They're having problems and you can't seem to make any progress in dealing with them.
Maybe you're worried about their school.
The town of Hamden, where we now live, just approved a plan to redistrict their elementary schools
and close two of them.
It's a big change and affects a lot of people.
The Board of Education meetings this fall have been filled with concerned parents.
Or maybe it's something even bigger.
Maybe you're worried about the direction of national politics.
Or the effects of global warming.
Or the worldwide refugee crisis.
The passage we just read from Isaiah begins with the hearts of King Ahaz and his people
shaking as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
King Ahaz was facing a national crisis.
Two neighboring countries had banded together against him.
They had invaded his land.
They had caused some damage.
They were headed toward Jerusalem.
And Ahaz was shaking in his boots.
Now the passage we read earlier in the service from the Gospel of Matthew
also begins with someone facing a crisis.
Joseph wasn't facing a national crisis, but he was facing a personal crisis because Joseph
was betrothed.
That is, he was legally pledged to be married.
To marry.
And he finds out she's pregnant with a child that's not his.
What does he do now?
Now, this morning as we look at both of these passages, I want us to see that God speaks
to us in the midst of our fears.
In the midst of our problems and crises, he speaks to us.
And he speaks to us through a child called Emmanuel.
I want us to look at this theme in three parts.
First, I want to begin by looking at God's word to faithless Ahaz in the book of Isaiah.
Then I want to look at God's word to faithful Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew.
And third, I want us to consider God's word for us in our own problems and crises and fears today.
So first, God's word for faithless Ahaz.
As we said, Ahaz was facing a national crisis.
It's described here in Isaiah chapter 7.
It's described with some more details in 1 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28.
So here's a bit more of the situation.
Two neighboring countries.
So one of them is called Syria.
Not to be confused with Assyria.
Those are two different countries.
Both appear.
So Syria, in some translations, if you have the NIV, it's called Aram.
So Syria is one country.
And then Israel, which is also called Ephraim, which was the northern ten tribes that had broke away from Judah.
So Syria and Israel had allied themselves against Ahaz, who was down in Judah.
And they had invaded his land.
They had killed some of his people.
They had taken many captives.
And they were heading toward his capital city of Jerusalem.
And Ahaz was shaking in his boots.
Where we meet Ahaz in verse 3 is he's apparently gone out of the city to inspect the water supply.
A practical thing to do.
That's probably why he was at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the washer's field.
It was one of the water sources for the city of Jerusalem.
He's sort of thinking, if we're besieged, what do we have on hand?
How are we going to deal with this?
And there, verse 4, Isaiah delivered God's word to Ahaz.
What's God's word?
Be careful.
Be quiet.
Don't fear.
Fear.
And don't let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands.
In other words, what Isaiah is saying is that these two countries who are attacking you
and who you're shaking in your boots about,
they're like the remnants of a bonfire.
They're still creating a bunch of smoke, but they're on their way down and they're on their way out.
They are not the ones that you need to fear.
So, verse 7 says,
it, that is their plan to conquer Judah,
shall not stand and it shall not come to pass.
God says,
they're trying to conquer you, they will not succeed.
And then in verse 9, Isaiah challenges Ahaz and says,
if you won't stand firm,
if you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.
Now, that word has,
that sentence,
there's a word play in that verse
that's hard to capture precisely in English
because the same verb appears twice,
first in an active form and then in a passive form.
So, basically what Isaiah is saying is,
if you won't actively trust and rely and believe in God,
you won't be established,
confirmed, reinforced by God.
If you won't stand firm in faith,
you won't be confirmed and established.
Now, Ahaz doesn't seem to respond to Isaiah's first word,
or at least his response is not recorded here in the text.
So, Isaiah goes to,
God sends another word to Ahaz.
Verse 10,
again,
the Lord spoke to Ahaz a second time.
Ask a sign of the Lord your God.
Let it be as deep as the grave or as high as heaven.
In other words,
God was saying to Ahaz,
let me show you how trustworthy I am.
Let me demonstrate my love for you.
I am your God.
Let me show you my power to save.
And Isaiah says,
I mean, sorry,
Ahaz says,
verse 12,
no.
Now, he says this in a way that sounds rather polite
and even sort of religious.
I won't ask.
I will not put the Lord to the test.
All right, now, back in Deuteronomy,
the Israelites were in the wilderness.
And they were testing God,
even though they had seen his faithfulness
over and over and over again.
And God says to them,
do not put the Lord your God to the test.
You've seen enough evidence.
He brought you out of Egypt from slavery.
He brought you through the Red Sea.
You've seen enough.
You don't need another sign.
But here,
God is offering Ahaz.
It's a rather unusual offer.
God doesn't make this offer to everyone in the scriptures.
Ask me for a sign.
Whatever you want.
But Ahaz says no.
Because really what Ahaz was saying
was something like this.
God,
I don't even want to consider the possibility
that you might be right.
I don't even want to give you a chance
to show me that you're worth trusting.
I'm not asking you for a sign
because I don't want a sign.
Because my mind is already made up.
I know who I trust,
and it's not you.
Now, you might say,
well, how do we know that?
How do we know that's what was going on
in Ahaz's mind?
Well, verse 13 indicates,
here then, O house of David,
is it too little for you to weary men
that you weary my God also?
In other words,
Ahaz is test-trying the patience of God
first by ignoring Isaiah's first word
and then refusing the second word.
But if you look at 2 Kings, verse 16,
again, one of the other passages
that speaks about the same situation,
it makes it very clear
who Ahaz was really trusting.
So 2 Kings 16, verse 5,
just summarizes the situation.
Rezin, king of Syria,
and Pekah, the son of Ramaliah,
king of Israel,
came up to wage war in Jerusalem,
and they besieged Ahaz.
So they finally reached Jerusalem,
but they couldn't conquer him.
And then verse 7,
here's Ahaz's response.
So Ahaz sent messengers
to Tiglas Pileser, king of Assyria,
again, not Syria, but Assyria,
saying,
I am your servant and your son.
Come up and rescue me
from the hand of the king of Syria
and from the hand of the king of Israel
who are attacking me.
Ahaz also took the silver and gold
that was found in the house of the Lord
and in the treasures of the king's house
and sent a present to the king of Assyria.
Who was Ahaz trusting to save him
from this national crisis?
He wasn't trusting the Lord,
but he was trusting the king of Assyria.
He was even willing to clean out
the treasures of the Lord's house
and send them off to the king of Assyria
to try to buy his favor.
Now you might say,
who were the Assyrians?
Well, they were the rapidly expanding
superpower of the day.
They were the largest empire
that had yet existed in world history.
They were also incredibly cruel
and ruthless.
They routinely deported
and brutally tortured peoples
whom they had conquered.
But Ahaz thought
the king of Assyria is strong.
Ahaz's pro-Assyrian stance
might have been partly
what provoked Syria and Israel
to unite and come against him
in the first place
because they realized
that if he allied with Assyria,
they were in trouble
so they were going to strike first.
So Ahaz might have just
even brought this trouble on himself.
By trusting in Assyria
and looking to Assyria.
So Ahaz was facing a national crisis
and he refused to trust
and obey the word of God.
Instead, he trusted the king of Assyria.
And that brings us to verse 14.
God says to Ahaz,
Okay.
You won't ask me for a sign.
I'll give you a sign.
Behold,
the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son
and shall call his name
Emmanuel.
This child Emmanuel
will be a sign.
In other words,
this child Emmanuel
will be a living demonstration
that God's word
is trustworthy and true
even though you have rejected it.
Ahaz.
Now many people have wondered
who in the world
was Isaiah talking about?
Here in verse 14.
Now look down at verse 16.
For before the boy knows
how to refuse the evil
and choose the good,
the land whose two kings you dread
will be deserted.
Isaiah was speaking to Ahaz
in the year 735 BC.
That was the year
that Syria and Israel
invaded Judah.
Three years later,
the king of Assyria
conquered Damascus.
That was the capital of Syria.
Killed the king of Syria
and deposed the king of Israel.
And ten years after that,
the Assyrians conquered Samaria,
the capital of Israel,
and the nation of Israel
fell apart.
The northern kingdom.
So at one level,
verse 14
has to be talking about
a child who was born
in the time of King Ahaz.
Otherwise,
the child is not assigned
to King Ahaz
and verse 16
doesn't make any sense.
So at one level,
in the immediate context,
there has to be
a child that Isaiah
is speaking about
who was born back then
in the 8th century BC.
Now you might say,
well,
what about this word virgin?
The virgin shall conceive
and bear a son.
Well,
that word translated virgin
can also mean more generally
a young woman
of marriageable age.
So this is not necessarily
speaking about
a miraculous conception
or a miraculous birth
in Isaiah's time.
So,
okay,
if there's a child
that was born back then,
who was it?
Well,
I think the beginning
of chapter 8
shows us
who this child was.
Chapter 8,
verse 3.
And I,
this is Isaiah speaking,
and I went to the prophetess,
that is,
Isaiah's wife,
and she conceived
and bore a son.
Do you notice
the parallel wording?
7,
14.
The virgin shall conceive
and bear a son.
Chapter 8,
verse 3.
I went to the prophetess
and she conceived
and bore a son.
Sign,
fulfillment.
And you might say,
okay,
so if Emmanuel
is at least in part
talking about Isaiah's son,
then how is Isaiah's son
assigned to King Ahaz
and to his people?
Well,
primarily Isaiah's son
would be a sign
of God's coming judgment
because Ahaz
had refused
to trust
and obey
the word of God.
And God says,
this child
will show you
and be a living demonstration
that my words
will come to pass
regardless of whether
you believe them or not.
And because you have chosen
not to believe them,
you will experience
judgment.
Now,
if you look at
the verses following,
714 and 8.3,
Isaiah first reaffirms
that the two nations
who are attacking Ahaz
will be defeated.
So,
716,
the land whose two kings
you dread
will be deserted.
8.4,
the wealth of Damascus
and the spoil of Samaria
will be carried away
before the king of Assyria.
But Isaiah's main emphasis
is in the verses
that follow.
In 717-25
and 8.5-8.
What do these verses say?
Verse 17,
chapter 7,
verse 17,
the Lord will bring
upon you
and upon your people
and upon your father's house
such days
as have not come
since the day
that Ephraim
departed from Judah,
the king of Assyria.
So, basically,
Isaiah's saying,
you know what?
These two nations
that are attacking you now
that you're worried about,
yeah,
they'll be dealt with,
but guess what?
Something worse
is going to happen to you.
Chapter 7,
verse 18-25
basically talks about
how terrible things
will be
when the Assyrians
invade Judah
and how the land
will be depopulated
and how it will become
briars and thorns.
It'll become
a wilderness again.
Chapter 8,
verse 5-8
is even more clear.
The Lord spoke to me again
because this people,
that is the people of Judah,
has refused
the waters of Shiloah
that flow gently.
So, Shiloah
was a little stream
outside Jerusalem
that is just
a small,
gentle brook.
And Isaiah's
basically saying,
because you're
not willing
to just be content
being who you are
and who God
has made you to be
and you rejoice
over Rezin
and the son of Ramaliah.
That is,
you're rejoicing
that Assyria
is conquering
these Syria
and Israel
because you're
so happy about that.
Therefore,
behold,
the Lord is bringing up
against them
that is against you
the waters of the river
mighty and many,
the king of Assyria
and all his glory.
It will rise
over all its channels.
It will go over
all its banks.
It will sweep
on into Judah.
In other words,
the king of Assyria
is going to come
in like a flood
and nearly drown you.
You have something
much bigger
that you should be
worried about.
You're worried
about the wrong thing.
You're worried
about these two
little nations
that God is going
to deal with soon.
And guess what?
You have something
even worse.
If you want
to think about this
with a simple analogy,
somebody else
came up with this.
Ahaz has been
compared to a mouse
who is being
attacked by two rats
and the mouse
calls out for help
to the neighborhood cat.
You get it?
Isaiah says,
the cat is not
your friend.
He might attack
the rats first,
but once you're
on his radar screen,
he's coming for you.
Isaiah says,
Assyria is the
wrong one to trust.
And one commentator,
John Oswalt,
said,
whatever we trust
in place of God
will eventually
turn on us
and destroy us.
Isn't that so true?
And that's part
of God's judgment
judgment when God
gives us over
to the fickle
and selfish
masters that we
have chosen
for ourselves.
That's what the
child Emmanuel
would be a warning
to Ahaz of.
He would see
this child growing up
and he would see
the word of God
being fulfilled
at each stage
of this child's life
and he would see
that God's words
were trustworthy
and true
and he would see
that because he
didn't listen
and didn't obey
that these judgments
were coming
on him.
So Ahaz faced
the national crisis.
He refused to trust
and obey the word
of God
so God gave him
the sign of the child
Emmanuel
as a sign
of his coming judgment.
But now,
that's Act 1.
Now we go to Act 2,
the Gospel of Matthew,
God's word
to faithful Joseph.
Turn ahead
to Matthew 1.
We read this earlier
in the service.
The page number's
in your bulletin
if you need that.
Matthew 1,
18 to 25.
Now here we have
somebody who's not
facing a national crisis
but he's facing
a personal crisis.
Back then,
being betrothed
was,
it was even more
binding than engagement.
Okay,
being betrothed
meant you're legally
pledged to be married.
The only way
you could break off
a betrothal agreement
was through
a legal divorce.
So it was even
more serious
and even more difficult
than breaking off
an engagement today
as devastating
as that can be.
So Joseph has already
signed on the dotted line.
They have a wedding,
they've, you know,
they've probably
got a wedding date
but they've made
a legal and binding agreement.
They will be married,
they're not yet married,
they're not yet living together
but they haven't yet
slept together
but then he learns
Mary's pregnant.
And so what does he do?
Verse 19,
it says Joseph resolved
to divorce her quietly.
Now notice,
verse 19 says
Joseph was a just man,
that is a righteous man
and he was also
a compassionate man
because it says
he was unwilling
to put her to shame.
In other words,
Joseph was saying,
I'm committed
not to dishonor you
even though
I can no longer
trust you.
I can't marry you
but I won't do anything
to harm you.
I won't make a big scene.
I won't gossip about this.
I won't seek to undermine
your reputation.
We will go our separate ways
peaceably.
Now on a side note,
Joseph in verse 19
is an example
of how to go through
a divorce
in a godly
and righteous way
when you have clear
biblical grounds
for divorce,
in this case
apparent sexual
unfaithfulness.
Joseph resolved
not to be vindictive
even when it seemed
that trust
had been irreparably
broken.
However,
that's a side note,
what seemed
to be the case
was not actually
the case.
God sent his word
to Joseph,
verse 20,
not through a prophet
as with Isaiah
but through an angel
in a dream.
Joseph,
son of David,
do not fear.
Again,
notice the theme
of fear.
Do not fear
to take Mary
as your wife
for that which is
conceived in her
is from the Holy Spirit.
Okay,
that's the one
and only time
that this is going
to happen,
just so you know.
She will bear a son
and you shall call
his name Jesus
for he will save
his people
from their sins.
And unlike
King Ahaz
who twice
rejected God's word,
we see that
Joseph obeyed
immediately.
Verse 24,
when Joseph woke
from sleep,
he did as the angel
of the Lord
commanded him.
He took his wife
but knew her not
till she had given
birth to a son
and he called
his name Jesus.
So Joseph was facing
a personal crisis.
God sent his word
to him
and Joseph trusted
and obeyed.
And what we also see
is that God
gave him a sign.
the child
Emmanuel
as a sign
not of his
coming judgment
but of his
coming salvation.
Jesus
who will save
his people
from their sins.
Verse 22
and 23,
Matthew tells us
that all this
took place
to fulfill
what the Lord
had spoken
through the prophet
Isaiah.
Now,
I'm sure
that some of you
are asking this question.
You're saying,
wait a minute,
you just told me
that Isaiah
was talking about
his own son
Emmanuel
back in the 8th century
BC.
How can then
Matthew
say
that Isaiah's
prophecy
is fulfilled
in the birth
of Jesus?
Let me say
three things
out to that
very reasonable
question.
First,
many biblical
prophecies
have both
an immediate
fulfillment
that is
a specific
relevance
to the time
and place
where they
were first
spoken
and a
longer
range
fulfillment
that becomes
evident
later on
in the
unfolding
story
of God's
salvation.
So,
it's a bit
like if you're
watching,
it's not a
perfect analogy,
but if you're
watching a movie
and the movie
begins
with a close-up
of a particular
individual
individual.
And for a
while,
the movie
is just
focused on
you see
that person
as a
child,
you see
them growing
up,
you see
their life
develop,
and you
think
this movie
is all
about that
one person.
For example,
take Thomas
Edison.
I'm not sure
there's a movie
about him,
but he's the
one who invented
electricity
and all other
kinds of
things.
So,
the movie
focuses on
his childhood
and then
finally on
his adventures,
but then as
the movie
comes to
an end,
the story
broadens.
Because it's
not just
about Thomas
Edison,
it's about
how electricity
changed the
world.
It's about
his followers
and their
legacy and
his legacy
and his
impact,
and it's
about the
people who
come after
him who
even far
surpassed
them.
The people
who make
even other
inventions that
even perhaps
have a greater
impact that
grow out of
that.
You realize
that this one
person is only
the beginning
of a much
bigger story.
Second,
so that's a
general point
about biblical
prophecy.
They often
have both
an immediate
fulfillment
and a longer
range fulfillment.
In the case
of this
particular
prophecy,
second point,
the book
of Isaiah
itself points
to both
an immediate
fulfillment
and a longer
range fulfillment.
You might say,
how?
Well,
turn back to
Isaiah,
but keep
your finger
in Matthew.
Turn back
to Isaiah.
Isaiah,
the child
Emmanuel is
first named
in Isaiah
7,
14.
And as I've
pointed out,
the rest of
chapter 7
and the beginning
of chapter 8
clearly indicate
that Isaiah's
son was in
mind.
I think that's
the best way
to understand
them.
But that's
not all that
Isaiah says
about Emmanuel.
Look at
chapter 8,
verse 8.
It's talking
about the king
of Assyria
invading Judah
and sweeping
on into Judah,
overflowing
and passing
on,
reaching even
to the neck.
It's as if
Judah is
nearly drowning
in this flood
and its
outspread wings
that is the
extent
of the king
of Assyria,
his power
will fill
the breadth
of your land,
O Emmanuel.
And you think,
what?
your land,
O Emmanuel.
Wait a minute.
I thought
Emmanuel's just
Isaiah's son.
Isaiah's son
doesn't even
become a king.
How does the
whole land
belong to
Emmanuel?
And then,
verses 9 and 10,
the tone
abruptly shifts
from a prophecy
of judgment
that almost
overwhelms
and destroys
Judah
to
an announcement
of judgment
on the other
nations that
are attacking
Judah.
And a word
of hope
for God's
people.
Verse 10,
take counsel
together,
but it will
come to
nothing.
Speak a word,
but it will
not stand,
for God
is with us.
Emmanuel.
There's that
word again.
It's a word
play.
The word
Emmanuel
means God
with us.
For God
is with us.
So,
Emmanuel seems
to give
renewed
strength
and hope
to God's
people,
even after
God has
judged them
for their
faithlessness.
And then,
Isaiah chapter
9,
which we'll
look at
more next
week,
also talks
about this
child who
will be
born.
Chapter 9,
verse 6,
for to us a
child is
born.
To us a
son is
given,
and the
government
shall be
upon his
shoulder.
And the
end of
verse 7
says,
he will
reign with
justice and
righteousness
from this
time forth
and forever
more.
You see,
the horizon
has broadened.
We've started
by just
looking at
Emmanuel as
Isaiah's son,
and then the
camera angle
has zoomed
out,
and now
we see
that someone
called Emmanuel
will reign
forever.
So it
can't just
be talking
about Isaiah's
son,
even though
it is
talking about
Isaiah's
son at
the first.
Third
point,
Matthew
sees this
familiar
pattern first
described by
Isaiah,
and he
sees that it
has now come
to a greater
fulfillment
in the
birth of
Jesus.
He sees
that Jesus
is this
child who
will one
day reign
forever.
You know,
if you look
at Old
Testament
prophecies,
there are a
few Old
Testament
prophecies
that are
about the
Messiah that
are fairly
straightforward
predictions.
Prophecies
that were
recognized even
before the
coming of
Christ,
by faithful
Jews,
they were
expecting
these words
to refer
to the
Messiah.
A good
example of
one of
these is
Micah 5.2,
which basically
says that a
ruler of
Israel will
come from
Bethlehem.
And you can
look at the
Dead Sea Scrolls,
you can look at
pre-Christian
Jewish documents
that clearly
interpret that
verse as
referring to a
coming Messiah.
Messiah.
But you know,
many or
perhaps even
most Old
Testament
prophecies,
it's not
quite that
clear in
advance what
they're referring
to.
Their
significance
only becomes
clearer in
hindsight after
Christ has
come.
One scholar,
Craig Blomberg,
put it this
way.
He said,
the key
patterns of
activity
ascribed to
God
recur,
that is,
they happen
over and
over,
in striking
discernible
patterns such
that the
believer can
only affirm
the same
hand of
God at
work in
both events.
It's sort
of like if
you turn on
the radio
and you
hear a
song that
you have
never heard
before,
but immediately
you recognize
the singer's
voice.
You recognize
the band's
style and
you know
immediately
who it
is even
though you've
never heard
that song
in your
life.
Or you
see a
piece of
art that
you've never
seen before
and immediately
you know
that's a
Van Gogh,
that's a
Monet,
because you
see the
fingerprints of
the artist.
I think
Matthew looks
at the story
of the birth
of Christ
and he
says,
that's the
God who
speaks to
us in
our
fears.
That's the
God whose
word is
always
trustworthy.
That's the
God who
gives his
people a
sign,
the sign
of Emmanuel,
so they
can see
that he
will always
be true
to his
word.
And so
they can be
encouraged and
challenged to
trust him
and not
trust anything
else that is
not worthy
of their
trust.
You see,
here's the
basic comparison.
Back in the
day,
Isaiah's son
Emmanuel was
assigned to
unfaithful Ahaz
of God's
coming judgment,
but now
Matthew is
saying,
Emmanuel,
born of the
Virgin Mary,
is assigned to
faithful Joseph
and to all
God's people of
his God's
coming salvation.
As Joseph
watched the
child Jesus
grow up,
as he watched
him be born,
as he watched
him grow up,
he would see
God's promises
are coming
to pass
in him.
He is a
sign that God
is faithful to
his word,
and he is a
sign that God
has come
to save us.
That's what
the name Jesus
means.
The Lord
saves.
There's
salvation
for everyone
who will put
their trust
in Jesus.
Emmanuel,
God with
us.
So we've
seen God's
word to
unfaithful
Ahaz,
and we've
seen God's
word to
faithful
Joseph,
and finally,
I want us
to consider
God's word
to us.
What are the
crises and
problems that
you're facing?
What are the
things that can
make your heart
shake like a
tree in the
wind?
Whether they're
personal problems
or family
crises or national
or global
concerns?
Let me speak
to you for a
moment if
you're not
a Christian,
if you're not
currently trusting
Jesus as your
Lord and Savior.
God spoke to
Ahaz, and God
said, ask me
for a sign.
Now, as I
said, God
does not tell
everyone to
ask him for
signs anytime
they want.
God does not
say, ask me
for whatever
you want, and
if I don't
give it to
you, then
don't worry,
you don't
have to
trust me.
The Pharisees
came to
Jesus, they
demanded a
sign, and
Jesus said
no, because
their motives
weren't right.
But here's
the question.
Are you
giving God
a chance to
show himself
to you as
trustworthy and
true?
Maybe you have
questions, maybe
you have doubts
thoughts or fears
or issues, barriers
to faith in the
Christian God.
Talk about them
with a Christian.
You'll almost
certainly find that
other people have
wrestled with the
very same things.
There are good
books by Christians
that address all
kinds of issues and
fears and doubts
and concerns and
questions.
Have you read a
thoughtful book by
a Christian that
explains a
Christian perspective
on whatever your
top doubt or
issue is with
Christianity?
Also, let me
challenge you, are
you willing to
question your
default assumptions?
Ahaz's default
assumption was,
I need to trust
the biggest guy
on the block.
Everybody trusts
something, even
if it's only
themselves.
Who are you
trusting if it's
not God?
Finally, have you
ever prayed and
asked God, God,
if you're real,
would you please
show yourself to
me?
In the
bulletin, there's
a prayer for
those searching
for truth.
It's on the
page titled
Prayers for
Communion.
When we serve
communion in a few
minutes, let me
encourage you to
consider that
prayer.
Second, for
those of us who
are Christians,
will we let God's
word speak to our
fears and our
problems and our
crises?
You know, the
right kind of fear
can be clarifying.
It can jolt us out of
apathy and
complacency.
It can give us a
laser-like focus and
clarity to face the
challenges before us or
to flee the temptations
that ensnare us.
Sometimes we need a
little bit of that
right kind of fear,
which begins with the
fear of God.
All the right kinds of
fear are ultimately
derived from the fear
of God.
Because the fear of God
gives us a respect for
the order that God has
established in this
world.
And therefore, we
learn to live wisely in
the world that God has
made when we recognize
that there's a maker of
this world who ordered
it.
And so, we ought to
respect His design for
things.
There's a right kind of
fear, but there's a
wrong kind of fear.
And the wrong kind of
fear, the kind of fear
that Ahaz had,
God just further
confuses us.
It further creates
clouds of dust.
Sometimes fear can
paralyze us.
Sometimes fear can
drive us into a frenzy
of chaotic activity.
But to be honest, you
can't even quite explain
why you're doing what
you're doing.
You just know that
you're afraid and you're
running.
And you're spinning your
wheels.
Sometimes we can get so
worried about our
concerns, that is,
things that we cannot
control.
And therefore,
ultimately, we need to
trust God with those
things, that we neglect
our responsibilities,
the things that God has
actually assigned us to do.
One person said, we are
always in danger of paying
too much attention to the
passing and paying too
little attention to the
significant.
So will we let God's
words speak to our fears
and reshape our concerns?
You see, on the one hand, the
sign of Emmanuel is a warning,
as it was to King Ahaz.
Whatever we trust in place of
God will eventually turn on us
and destroy us.
But on the other hand, the
sign of Emmanuel is a comfort.
Because we can look at Jesus
and see, God has come to be
with us.
That's how Matthew begins his
gospel, by introducing Jesus as
Emmanuel, God with us.
And what's the last word of the
gospel of Matthew?
Jesus says to his disciples,
go and make disciples of all
nations, and I am with you
always.
to the very end of the age.
Emmanuel has come to be with
us, and he's promised to stay
with us, and never leave us,
and never forsake us.
And so he's with us in our
problems, in our crises, in our
fears.
Don't live as if he's not.
He's not absent.
Brothers and sisters, do not
fear the wrong things.
For God is with us.
Let us pray.
Father God, we thank you for
speaking to us in the midst of
our fears.
We thank you that you do not
only speak to us from afar,
but we thank you that in Jesus
Christ you have come to dwell
with us, that we would know
that we are never alone in all
the battles we face, in all the
uncertainties of life in this
unpredictable and fallen world.
Lord, we thank you that you are
the rock upon which we can stand.
We thank you that you are the
one who can give us courage and
confidence, who can give us
humility and peace.
We pray that we would take heed,
that we would listen and obey
your word.
We pray that in this Advent season
that we would know your presence
with us.
We pray that we would
forsake our
loyalties that are
misguided,
that we would
not trust
other people or other
things
that we should not
be trusting in.
That we would trust in you
alone above all
things.
And that you would give us
wisdom
to live wisely in this world.
We pray that as we
come to the Lord's Supper,
that you would
nourish us and strengthen us
to live by faith
in the one who died for us
and rose again from the dead.
We pray in his name,
Jesus our Lord.
Amen.