WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.219 You may be seated. Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:11.960 Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:16.100 A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here, 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:21.059 and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, but because we're following 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:26.940 Jesus together as one community, and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:32.420 no one so good. They don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it, and so that's 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:38.859 why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word. We're taking a break 00:00:38.859 --> 00:00:43.280 over the next few weeks from the Gospel of Mark because this Sunday is actually the first Sunday 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:50.400 in the season of Advent. Advent comes from a Latin word that means to come or to arrive, and so during 00:00:50.400 --> 00:00:56.260 the season of Advent, we focus on Jesus arriving or His coming to earth, and as we do that, we do a 00:00:56.259 --> 00:01:02.140 couple things. First of all, we celebrate the past, so that's why we sing songs like Joy to the World. 00:01:02.559 --> 00:01:09.239 The Lord has come. That's what's already happened. We also look forward to the future, so we just sang 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:13.819 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, which speaks in the future tense. Hey, we're looking forward to what is going to 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:18.219 happen, so we're looking back to the past. We're looking forward to the future, and that's really 00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:23.319 not just the season of Advent. It's actually the whole Christian life. As Christians, what we're doing is we're 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:27.639 celebrating what God's done in the past. We're looking forward to what He's done in the future, 00:01:27.639 --> 00:01:32.379 and then we're using both of those to be able to live faithfully in the present right now. 00:01:33.299 --> 00:01:39.519 As we do that, we're going to return to the prophet Isaiah, and I say return because if you're an old 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:45.579 timer, you'll remember we were in Isaiah for Advent 2017, but fear not. We're going to look at 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:51.179 completely different passages than we looked at five years ago. The book of Isaiah is the prophecies of a 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:57.340 prophet named Isaiah, and Isaiah was in the 8th century BC, and his job was to go to the southern 00:01:57.340 --> 00:02:01.460 kingdom. We'll talk a little bit more later about what that means, but the southern kingdom of Israel 00:02:01.460 --> 00:02:08.159 to call them back to God, to warn them about the consequences of their sin. I mentioned Isaiah, 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:14.180 by the way, last week when we were talking about the occupational hazards of being a prophet. You may 00:02:14.180 --> 00:02:20.740 remember that Isaiah was the one who was sawed in half by Manasseh, the king of Judah. So his message 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:26.800 was not well received, but it has lasted until now, and we're going to be looking at Isaiah chapter 7, 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:32.400 which is the chapter that gives us this phrase we've already seen twice. First of all, in our New 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:37.900 Testament reading from Matthew chapter 1, Isaiah 7 was quoted. We were told that Jesus is Emmanuel, 00:02:38.460 --> 00:02:44.320 which means God with us, and Matthew there is referring back to this passage from Isaiah chapter 7. 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:50.620 We've also just sung the song, O come, O come, Emmanuel, which is citing both of those passages, 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:55.439 Matthew 1 and Isaiah 7. And so as we dig into this, we're going to be asking this question of what does 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:04.759 it actually mean for God to be with us? What does it actually mean for God to be with us? And even more 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:10.139 sobering than that, why would we resist that or run away from it? Because that's exactly what King 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:17.079 Ahaz done, it does in this passage. He's not interested in God's presence, even though it's 00:03:17.079 --> 00:03:26.699 offered. And so with that, I invite you to turn with me now to Isaiah chapter 7, starting at verse 10. 00:03:26.839 --> 00:03:32.539 You can turn in your Bible, you can turn in your worship guide, you can turn on your phone. No matter 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:37.839 where you turn, remember that this is God's word. In Proverbs chapter 30, verse 5 tells us that 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:45.840 every word of God proves true. He's a shield to those who take refuge in him. And so that's why we read 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:54.500 Isaiah chapter 7, starting at verse 10. Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ask a sign of the Lord your God. 00:03:55.140 --> 00:04:03.280 Let it be deep as shale or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:11.400 to the test. And he said, hear then, O house of David, is it too little for you to weary men that 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:20.160 you weary my God also? Verse 14. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:27.560 shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:34.959 knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:41.720 choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:48.120 upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:55.819 departed from Judah, the king of Assyria. I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's 00:04:55.819 --> 00:05:06.620 word. Our Father in heaven, we praise you that you are Emmanuel, God with us, that Jesus came as a man 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:13.579 into this world, that you didn't stand far off from us, but you pursued us in your grace. And we ask for 00:05:13.579 --> 00:05:19.980 your presence this morning by your Holy Spirit, that you would give us the ability to hear and understand 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:25.719 your word, that it would be clear, that it would make sense to us, and that we would be able to believe 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:32.720 it and apply it to our lives. Most of all, we ask that you would show us Jesus in his holiness and his 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:39.180 beauty and his glory and his love, that we would grow in our love and our affection for him, in our 00:05:39.180 --> 00:05:44.640 reverence, in our all for him, that we would follow him and that we would obey him. We ask these things in 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.039 the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:57.019 As we come to Isaiah chapter 7, we are jumping into the middle of a story that's been happening for 00:05:57.019 --> 00:06:01.699 hundreds of years with God's people in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel. And so for us to 00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:06.800 be able to make any sense of what we're entering into right now, we have to understand a little bit 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:12.120 of what has come before. Now, if you're familiar at all with the Old Testament, you know that Israel 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:17.759 is God's people, his chosen people, who are meant to be, this phrase that Isaiah uses over and over 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:23.500 again, a light to the nations. The people of Israel are meant to show the world what it looks like when 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:31.620 God's people live in God's ways. But things have turned bad very quickly after King David and then 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:38.840 Solomon and then his son Jeroboam, the nation of Israel splits in half. Okay, there's a rebellion 00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:45.639 against God, the legitimate king that follows from the line of David. And so in 930 BC, by the way, 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:49.720 I know this is going to be a little bit for you to follow, so I've given you some notes on page 7 of 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:58.399 your worship guide. 930 BC, the kingdom of Israel splits in half. The northern kingdom is the illegitimate 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:02.439 kingdom, but it's referred to as Israel. It's illegitimate because they're the ones who broke 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:08.819 off, and they're illegitimate because they do not have a king from the line of David. Only the king 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:14.259 from the line of David is the one who is legitimate. The southern kingdom we refer to as Judah, and Judah 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:21.199 continues this Davidic line, and so they're in a sense the faithful kingdom, although not so much because 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:27.919 they also struggle to obey and worship God. Okay, so with all of that background, what you need to know is 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:34.680 there's Israel in the south, Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Now, there's the power of Assyria, 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:40.439 which is growing. They're a military threat to both Israel in the north and Judah in the south, 00:07:40.520 --> 00:07:46.300 and so Israel in the north decides, look, we know Assyria is great, and they are coming for us, so 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:51.220 here's what we're going to do. We're going to team up with Syria, and we're hoping that with this 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:57.400 alliance, we are going to be able to stand. But we don't want to just rely on that. We also need 00:07:57.399 --> 00:08:04.259 Judah in the south to join us, because then we'll have three different groups in alliance against 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:09.519 Assyria. That's where King Ahaz comes into the picture. We meet him at the very beginning here 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:15.459 in verse 10. God's speaking to Ahaz, because Israel in the north comes to Ahaz, and they say, look, 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:21.379 you've got two options. You can join us by choice, or you can join us by force. 00:08:21.379 --> 00:08:28.959 If you choose not to join us, we're going to attack you, and we're going to replace you with 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:35.820 a puppet ruler who will do what we want. We are going to get you to fight Assyria with us 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:44.919 no matter what. So you can receive our invitation, or you can receive our command. And so Judah in the 00:08:44.919 --> 00:08:49.320 south is just filled with great fear. We didn't read all of chapter 7, but we're told at the beginning 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:56.400 that the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the 00:08:56.400 --> 00:09:05.960 wind. Assyria is the great threat. Israel in the north, the lesser threat. Ahaz, the king of Judah, 00:09:06.040 --> 00:09:10.620 the one who's from the legitimate line of David, is left trying to figure out what he's supposed to do 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:15.740 in response to this threat from the north that they are going to replace him with another king. 00:09:15.740 --> 00:09:22.299 And that's where Isaiah the prophet rolls in to remind Ahaz of God's faithfulness. 00:09:23.659 --> 00:09:29.080 Judah is the kingdom with the legitimate king. Judah is the one that is still descending from David. 00:09:29.379 --> 00:09:35.840 And so Judah still can claim the promises that God has made for generations. They can still claim the 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:41.940 fact that God will remain faithful to them and fight for them. And yet Ahaz has forgotten all that. 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:50.320 He is filled with fear and he's tempted to make a deal. He prefers not to trust God and instead to 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:57.200 trust himself. And so that's where we pick up in this story. Isaiah is coming to Ahaz and he says here, 00:09:57.300 --> 00:10:02.420 verse 10, ask a sign of the Lord your God. Let it be as deep as shale or as high as the heavens. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:07.360 In other words, Isaiah is saying this, look, I know that you're struggling to believe. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:15.919 I know it's hard for you to trust that God is going to show up for you and fight for you. 00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:24.000 I know that if you judge just based on what your eyes can see, none of this makes sense. Trusting God 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:29.700 doesn't add up. And so I'm going to do you a favor here. Ask me for a sign. Ask me to do something 00:10:29.700 --> 00:10:36.659 miraculous. I'll do it so that there's something you can see. I'll do it to build and grow your faith. 00:10:36.659 --> 00:10:46.399 I'm coming here to help you. Ask me for anything and I'll do it so that you know you can believe. 00:10:47.939 --> 00:10:54.279 And it's here where Ahaz makes his critical mistake. Verse 12, he says, I will not ask and I will not put 00:10:54.279 --> 00:11:02.139 the Lord to the test. And so Ahaz refuses the sign and he cloaks it in spiritual language. 00:11:02.139 --> 00:11:08.500 But really he's using this spiritual language that he's going to refuse to test God as a way of hiding 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:15.899 what is really going on. Ahaz doesn't want to rely on anyone but himself. 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:25.679 Ahaz doesn't want to receive a sign from God because he wants to do it himself. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:37.179 Ahaz believes it is riskier and scarier to have to wait and trust than to be able to act quickly and 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:44.979 decisively. Ahaz would rather believe in what he can see than what he can't see. And this is Ahaz's 00:11:44.979 --> 00:11:50.279 great downfall, by the way, that he refuses to trust God and believe in him. And that's the background 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:55.839 that helps us understand what's going to come next, this promise of Emmanuel. God is saying here, 00:11:55.980 --> 00:12:02.419 okay, I've offered to give you a sign and you've turned me down. So you know what we're going to do? 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:09.500 This is how this game is going to play out. I'll come up with my own sign. It's like you go to someone 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:16.240 and you say, what do you want for Christmas? Ask me anything you want and I'll give it to you. And 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.840 they say, oh no, no, no, I wouldn't do that. And so you say, okay, I'll pick my own gift for Christmas. 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:30.940 I'll give you whatever I want. And that's what God is saying here. Okay, you won't name a sign. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:38.980 I will give you a sign. Verse 14, therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, 00:12:39.060 --> 00:12:45.379 the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. He shall eat curds and honey 00:12:45.379 --> 00:12:51.019 when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:57.759 the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The two kings 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:02.679 he's referring to here, the king of Syria, the king of Israel in the north, they're coming to replace 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:06.799 you with a puppet ruler. At least that's what you think. But here's what's actually going to happen. 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:12.000 There's going to be a child that's born. And before that child is very old, those nations are not 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:19.960 going to be anything you need to fear anymore. Would you just believe me and trust me? 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:26.919 And there's some disagreement over who Emmanuel is in this section. Some people believe it ends up 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:32.580 being Isaiah's son in chapter eight. Isaiah's son has this beautiful name that you can write down. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:36.000 If you're considering one for your child, he's named Maher Shalal Hashbaz. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:42.779 And so Maher Shalal Hashbaz is born in chapter eight as this fulfillment of the sign. Some people 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:52.559 believe it's actually the son of Ahaz, Hezekiah. Either way, God fulfills his promise. There's this 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:58.639 child that's born in a quick amount of time. Assyria, excuse me, Syria and Israel in the north are no 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:05.320 longer a threat. God honors his promise. He protects Judah in the south from this threat. Now this raises a 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:09.860 question that we have to talk about for a second, which is you might be thinking, okay, we just read 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:15.520 Matthew chapter one. I thought that Isaiah here was talking about Jesus. I thought Jesus was the one 00:14:15.520 --> 00:14:19.940 who was going to be Emmanuel, God with us. And now you're telling me it's Maher Shalal Hashbaz. 00:14:20.800 --> 00:14:27.360 What am I supposed to do with this? Everything I know is false. In fact, if you're unfamiliar with 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:31.900 this passage, this is one of the areas folks will go when they're trying to deconstruct the Bible and 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:35.919 prove to you it's something you shouldn't trust. They'll say, look, isn't it obvious that it's 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:40.879 Maher Shalal Hashbaz and not Jesus? So clearly Matthew's just making stuff up. 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:46.899 And the answer is this. It's a little bit complicated. The way that prophecy works in 00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:54.659 the Old Testament is it also often has a double fulfillment. Prophecy often has a near fulfillment 00:14:54.659 --> 00:15:01.799 and a far fulfillment. Prophecy is not limited by one thing. And so what's happening here is that 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:08.319 it is not that we have to choose between Maher Shalal Hashbaz and Jesus. It's that both are ways of this 00:15:08.319 --> 00:15:13.100 prophecy being fulfilled. First of all, we need for there to be a son to be born quickly because 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:19.659 otherwise God's promise to Ahaz makes no sense. He's not saying trust me because in hundreds, 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:26.100 hundreds, thousands of years, hundreds of years, Syria and Israel in the north will no longer be a 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:32.480 threat. He's saying, trust me because they're not going to be a threat very soon. And so that's sort 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:36.600 of a sidebar, but I just want you to know when we talk about prophecy, that's often the way things 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:39.860 work. You don't need to look at it now, but I've given you a quote on the back of your worship guide 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:44.079 that kind of unpacks some of this, that when we think about these things, it's not an either or, 00:15:44.199 --> 00:15:48.699 it's a both and. And so we don't need to be threatened when people raise these questions about the 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:53.720 Bible. We can say, yeah, Matthew, the author of the gospel, he knew about Maher Shalal Hashbaz. 00:15:54.020 --> 00:15:59.140 He read Isaiah chapter eight. Okay. He's not ignorant of that. The audience of the gospel of 00:15:59.140 --> 00:16:03.420 Matthew, they're not ignorant of Isaiah chapter eight. They know about that. What Matthew is saying 00:16:03.420 --> 00:16:11.540 is, look, there was a small fulfillment in Isaiah chapter eight. There's a much greater, fuller, 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:19.439 more final fulfillment in Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us means that God is going to be with you, 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:23.179 Ahaz, even in the midst of your doubts, as you fear this army coming in. 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:31.139 And Jesus, God with us is going to be with you in a greater and more powerful way. 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:39.779 I've gone over a lot of Old Testament history with you. We've talked about a lot of things. If you 00:16:39.779 --> 00:16:47.480 are confused or lost, here's the point. Ahaz trusted men when he should have trusted God. 00:16:49.699 --> 00:16:59.620 Ahaz feared men when he should have feared God. Ahaz refused to accept God's help, but instead he 00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:09.619 wanted to do it himself. Ahaz thought that Israel in the north and Syria were more powerful, 00:17:09.779 --> 00:17:19.980 powerful than Yahweh. And so he reaps the consequences. What he ends up doing in a backward sort of way is he 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:27.480 makes an alliance with Assyria, the major threat to begin with. And he says, look, Assyria, I want you to 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:36.259 protect me from Israel and Syria. And so he does. And what happens? He loses his independence and he 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:43.980 becomes a battle. And so it's the beginning of the end for Judah. 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:56.720 Ahaz refused to believe that God would be Emmanuel, God with us. He refused to believe that God would show up 00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:58.779 and fight for him. 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:09.240 Now I told you a few weeks ago, maybe it was last week, that when we come up against a negative example 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:14.380 in the Bible, and it doesn't necessarily describe us, or maybe even if it does, we want to look and push 00:18:14.380 --> 00:18:19.019 towards the positive. And so why is it that we've unpacked all of this Old Testament history, talking 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:23.299 about the split between the north and the south in 930, and the attack from Israel in the north and 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:31.319 Judah in the south? It is all for this to say, Ahaz did not trust God's deliverance and his presence. 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:36.659 Emmanuel, God with us, means that we do. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:45.419 Ahaz refused to trust God's deliverance and his presence. Emmanuel, God with us, means that we do. 00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:52.359 It means that we go through this process of both grief and relief. On the one hand, we grieve giving up 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:58.579 total control. We know, we recognize that we're actually not as powerful as we think, and that God 00:18:58.579 --> 00:19:04.539 is someone we can trust. There's a grief that comes, a loss that comes with finally letting go of this 00:19:04.539 --> 00:19:10.939 illusion, this delusion that we can arrange and control enough things to make ourselves safe. 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:18.959 And there's a relief from not having to bear that weight anymore. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:24.539 There's a relief that comes from not having to play God. 00:19:26.340 --> 00:19:32.299 It seems counterintuitive that Ahaz would see God being with him as a bad thing, that he would 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:36.039 refuse to name a sign, that he would not want to grow in his faith and his dependence. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:42.319 But on the other hand, it makes complete sense. Ahaz is protecting himself from being in the scary 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:52.339 position of trusting God. Ahaz is protecting himself from the pain of waiting. He's protecting himself 00:19:52.339 --> 00:19:55.259 from the possibility of feeling helpless. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:01.539 Instead, he would rather feel powerful and in control. 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:11.240 And so the core point of this passage is this, that we must believe and trust that God will provide 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:20.039 for us and protect us. We must give up what Ahaz clung on to, which is this illusion that we're in 00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:27.240 control. We must give up our desire to constantly be able to be powerful enough to do anything and 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:34.099 everything. And so that means we no longer judge what we're going to do simply by the circumstances 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:40.160 around us, what's right in front of us. Even when the odds are against us like they are against Ahaz, 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:46.500 we trust and we believe in God. It means when we're in the midst of a battle and we are tempted to 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:53.660 believe that we're all alone and it's up to us, that instead we remind ourselves that it is God's power 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:58.759 at work in our greatest battles and our feeblest efforts. 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:06.759 It means that we let go of believing that it's up to us to change the hearts and minds and behaviors 00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:14.140 of others that leads us to anxiety and badgering them to get them to do what we think they need to do 00:21:14.140 --> 00:21:18.580 rather than trusting God and loving them. 00:21:18.579 --> 00:21:26.319 And so we end up controlling and manipulating our friends and our family and our partners. 00:21:28.439 --> 00:21:32.639 Ironically, driving them farther away rather than bringing them close. 00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:39.240 It's believing that we're all alone to protect ourselves and provide for ourselves. And so the 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:44.079 only logical choice, since God isn't going to show up, is that we have to hoard more and more 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:52.139 and generosity is to be avoided at all costs. And we forget that we have a heavenly father who 00:21:52.139 --> 00:22:00.859 numbers the hairs on our head and cares even for the sparrows and the lilies of the valley. 00:22:02.299 --> 00:22:08.679 We believe it's up to ourselves to protect ourselves. And so we punch back when we're hurt with gossip and 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:14.660 slander and cutting remarks that damage the hearts and minds of others. 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:19.660 But we have a God who says that he's with us. 00:22:21.360 --> 00:22:24.860 And he says, vengeance is mine, says the Lord. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:32.519 It means we're concerned about God's opinion rather than public opinion. 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:40.240 It means we can accept, help, and admit weakness because we don't have to convince ourselves 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:45.119 anymore that we're strong enough or great enough or powerful enough. 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:54.579 We can give up working constantly and finally trust that God is true when he says he can do as much 00:22:54.579 --> 00:22:59.059 in six days, more in six days than we can do in seven. 00:23:02.299 --> 00:23:06.000 And really the positive is this, Psalm 118, verse 6, 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.719 the Lord is on my side. 00:23:08.399 --> 00:23:12.859 I will not fear what can man do to me. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:18.299 And the negative is from Matthew chapter 10, verse 28. 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:22.679 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 00:23:23.399 --> 00:23:28.059 Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.239 Ahaz feared men and trusted men. 00:23:36.239 --> 00:23:40.379 If we believe God is with us, we fear God and we trust God. 00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:47.220 That's what it means for God to be with us. 00:23:47.300 --> 00:23:53.040 Not some sentimental story about Jesus reading you a story and serving you hot cocoa, 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:57.200 but instead Jesus being the one who's a warrior who fights on your behalf 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.960 and defends you against greater, more powerful enemies. 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:05.840 Defending you against those you cannot fight on your own. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:14.079 Now we read in Matthew chapter 1, talked about Jesus being Emmanuel, God with us. 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:20.500 And I've told you over and over that when it comes to the Bible's bookends matter a lot. 00:24:22.139 --> 00:24:24.480 Matthew chapter 1, Emmanuel, God with us. 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:28.399 The very last chapter in Matthew, Matthew chapter 28, 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:32.959 what are the very last words of the whole gospel? 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:51.980 The gospel of Matthew is meant to tell us at the beginning and at the end that God is with us. 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:58.420 He doesn't just give us himself and his sacrifice. 00:24:58.420 --> 00:25:03.340 He doesn't just give us the death where he takes the punishment that we deserve. 00:25:03.400 --> 00:25:07.360 And he doesn't just give us his life where he lives the life that we should have. 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.200 Jesus also gives us his presence. 00:25:10.660 --> 00:25:12.600 Jesus gives us his power. 00:25:12.800 --> 00:25:15.680 Jesus comes and fights on our behalf. 00:25:16.080 --> 00:25:20.539 He is much greater than Mahershalel Hashbaz. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:24.420 He is present with his people in a greater way than he was present with Ahaz. 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:30.980 He fights against a greater enemy than Israel in the north and Syria. 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:38.240 Jesus fights and defeats Satan himself and sin along with it. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:44.400 When we think about the gospel then in relationship to this, 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:47.420 we think about Romans chapter 8, verses 31 and 32, 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:49.440 which I've told you about many times before, 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:51.420 which reminds us of this promise that says, 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:54.640 look, if God gave you his son, 00:25:56.099 --> 00:25:59.359 he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:04.000 how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:07.259 He's given you Jesus Christ. 00:26:07.380 --> 00:26:09.019 What will he hold back from you? 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:12.079 He was powerful enough to defeat death. 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:15.099 What else would he refuse to conquer? 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:20.059 And so when we face the battles of this world, 00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:22.579 when we're tempted to believe that it's all up to us, 00:26:22.619 --> 00:26:25.900 when we're tempted to manipulate and change circumstances around us, 00:26:26.099 --> 00:26:31.039 when we're tempted to make compromises with evil because we're afraid, 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:38.319 we're reminded of the words of Isaiah chapter 7 and Matthew chapter 1, 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:41.960 that he is Emmanuel, God with us. 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:50.139 And so we trust his protection and his provision more than anything else. 00:26:50.140 --> 00:26:55.480 And we refuse to make treaties with Assyria 00:26:55.480 --> 00:27:01.180 because we know that God will fight for us. 00:27:05.280 --> 00:27:09.160 In Peter Jackson's second movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, 00:27:09.360 --> 00:27:10.140 The Two Towers, 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:13.980 there's this great focus on the battle for Helm's Deep. 00:27:14.100 --> 00:27:18.540 And you'll remember this sort of begins when King Theoden has his exorcism, 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:21.220 Gandalf casts out the spirit from him. 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:24.119 And so he decides after this, now that he's in his right mind, 00:27:24.399 --> 00:27:28.079 he needs to rescue his people from the threat of Saruman and his army. 00:27:28.639 --> 00:27:32.279 And so he decides the way that he's going to do that is to go to Helm's Deep. 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:35.019 There he has his fortress of the Hornburg, 00:27:35.099 --> 00:27:36.899 which belongs to the people of Rohan. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:41.220 And if he can make it there, then he's able to stand against Saruman. 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:45.440 Gandalf is convinced that this is a terrible idea. 00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:48.940 And so you may remember he has this sidebar conversation with Aragorn 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:50.920 where he vents his frustration and says, 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:52.160 this is the wrong move. 00:27:52.299 --> 00:27:53.960 They're going to get trapped in this valley. 00:27:54.080 --> 00:27:55.840 And so there's only one choice for me. 00:27:56.200 --> 00:28:00.440 I, Gandalf, am going to have to ride off and find help. 00:28:01.700 --> 00:28:03.660 And his last words to Aragorn are this, 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:07.559 look to my coming at the first light on the fifth day. 00:28:08.380 --> 00:28:11.200 At dawn, look to the east. 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:14.240 While Gandalf heads off to get help, 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:17.080 we see the people of Rohan make their way to Helm's Deep. 00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:19.700 They hunker down and then this battle begins. 00:28:20.080 --> 00:28:22.759 If you've seen it, this is the portion where Aragorn and Gimli 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:25.880 are having this competition over who can kill enough orcs. 00:28:26.539 --> 00:28:28.019 And so they're adding up the numbers 00:28:28.019 --> 00:28:31.140 because they want to be, each of them, the one who comes out on top. 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.279 I think Gimli maybe adds some numbers in there. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:35.600 It's all fun and games though, 00:28:35.620 --> 00:28:38.819 until the orcs finally blow a hole in the wall 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:40.600 that's protecting the people of Rohan. 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:42.079 And that's the beginning of the end. 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:45.399 They keep moving further and further back into their fortress 00:28:45.399 --> 00:28:48.119 until they realize they're facing a death sentence. 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:51.899 Wanting to die like men rather than cowards, 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:53.619 Théoden and Aragorn decide 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:57.799 they're going to make one last charge out in this blaze of glory. 00:28:57.879 --> 00:28:59.779 They're going to go on this suicide mission, 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:04.339 rushing out on their horses into this uncountable number of orcs 00:29:04.339 --> 00:29:08.299 because they want to die defending rather than retreating. 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:11.099 And as they make this decision, remember, 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:16.119 Aragorn looks up and he sees that the sun is beginning to rise. 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:19.819 It's shining through the window where he's standing there with Théoden. 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:23.659 And he hears the words of Gandalf in his ears. 00:29:23.859 --> 00:29:26.599 Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. 00:29:26.819 --> 00:29:29.220 At dawn, look to the east. 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:35.380 And so they ride out and we see them taking over this ridiculous number of orcs 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:37.799 knowing eventually they're going to die 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:39.880 because they cannot kill enough of them. 00:29:40.100 --> 00:29:43.660 Except you see at the very top of the hill of the valley, 00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:44.980 because Helm's deep as a valley, 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:49.279 Gandalf rides up on this white horse that bucks up. 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:53.000 And the sun is rising right behind him. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:57.359 And then you see the king of Rohan come beside him. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:00.180 And he says, look at all these people fighting alone. 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:01.660 And the king says, not anymore. 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:06.799 And then they charge down the valley straight into the orcs 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:08.740 and they clean house. 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:15.359 And the battle of Helm's deep ends up being a victory for Rohan, 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:24.939 not a defeat because Gandalf and the riders of Rohan are with them. 00:30:26.159 --> 00:30:30.539 They are with them in a military sense. 00:30:30.639 --> 00:30:32.279 They're with them in a power sense. 00:30:32.379 --> 00:30:34.139 They're with them in a fighting sense 00:30:34.139 --> 00:30:38.199 that they're not going to leave them to fight their battles alone. 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:41.559 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for us. 00:30:41.979 --> 00:30:44.019 God is with us too. 00:30:44.019 --> 00:30:50.599 And he has come and defeated sin and death forever. 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:56.779 He has made what would be certain defeat into a great victory. 00:30:58.099 --> 00:31:04.259 And so we believe him and trust him and follow him no matter what. 00:31:05.220 --> 00:31:06.079 Let's pray. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:10.400 Our Father in heaven, we praise you 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:12.420 and thank you for this great promise 00:31:12.420 --> 00:31:14.800 that you are with us. 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:16.980 You're with us in your strength 00:31:16.980 --> 00:31:18.700 and your might and your power. 00:31:19.340 --> 00:31:21.100 You're with us to fight for us 00:31:21.100 --> 00:31:23.180 and stand against the enemies 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:25.980 that would otherwise destroy us and obliterate us. 00:31:26.320 --> 00:31:27.620 We ask that you would help us 00:31:27.620 --> 00:31:29.300 to know and believe that more and more, 00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:31.800 that you would direct our eyes to Jesus Christ 00:31:31.800 --> 00:31:34.200 and we would remember his sacrifice 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:35.779 and take confidence in the fact 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:37.539 that if you gave us your son, 00:31:37.539 --> 00:31:41.200 will you not also with him give us all things? 00:31:41.700 --> 00:31:43.319 We ask all of these things 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:44.859 in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:45.480 Amen. 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:45.659 Amen. 00:31:47.019 --> 00:31:47.920 I invite you to...