Turn back to Isaiah chapter 7. We'll be looking at verses 1-14 and in particular verse 14.
! Have a think, do you know what the most common, the most mentioned command in the Bible is? Have a think, don't say out loud. Have a guess. This is one of the classic Bible trivia questions.
So the most mentioned command in the Bible, it isn't believe, it isn't praise the Lord, that would be a good guess. No, the most common command in the Bible is do not fear.
Do not fear. You can have that for your Christmas quiz later in the year. And if we think about it, the reality of this, if you think about just the reality of this world,
the fact that do not fear is the most common command, that shouldn't be a surprise to us.
Because we are constantly scared about where the world is heading. You look at these wars going on now, all this conflict, these negotiations,
and it just feels like we're on the brink of World War 3. And we can be scared of where the world is heading.
Is this all just going to end in a nuclear apocalypse?
We can look at our country and it feels like everything is falling apart, economically, morally, like everything is going downhill.
And we can fear, where is all this going to end?
And we can feel that about the church.
We see the decline of the church in the UK, the constant opposition we get at work, at school, just the godlessness around us.
And we can fear about the future. Where is the church heading?
If you're not a believer here tonight, and you might look at the church and think, is this all just a fad?
Just a passing religion of this world?
And when humanity just kind of comes to its senses, then the church will just fizzle out.
The Bible tells us that this world is a spiritual war zone.
That's what Paul says in Ephesians.
We wrestle against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.
Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We may not realise it, but if you pull back the curtain of reality, we are in a spiritual war.
Satan wants your soul.
Sin lurks in our hearts.
Guilt hangs over a cursed humanity.
And death is the final enemy that goes after all of us.
God is bringing in his kingdom, but a kingdom of darkness fights against it.
And as we see the spiritual forces at work, as we see the state of this world, it can be scary.
We can be filled with fear and we can wonder, what is the outcome of this war?
Where is all of this heading?
Well, today, God is saying to us, I can guarantee you where all of this is heading.
I am going to win this war.
History ends with the victory of the church.
Because that's also what's going on in this passage in Isaiah.
God's people are in the midst of war.
God's very kingdom is on the line.
And things just seem impossible.
And it seems like the church is actually about to come to an end.
And the question is, where is all this heading?
Is God going to lose this world?
And in fact, this passage even has that most common command of the Bible.
Look at verse 4.
Be careful, be quiet, do not fear.
This passage is all about God addressing our fears in the war zone.
But this passage also contains a very familiar Christmas verse.
Did you spot it?
Verse 14.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.
This verse is directly quoted in Matthew 1, when Joseph is told Mary will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
In fact, turn there with me now, page 807.
Keep a finger in Isaiah 7.
But turn to page 807.
Matthew chapter 1.
And just look at verse 22.
Matthew, all this took place.
All this, Jesus being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary.
Matthew says all this took place to fulfill this verse here in Isaiah 7.
And today, I want us to see why.
I want us to see how exactly Jesus' birth and the command not to fear in this war zone,
I want to see how they're linked.
When Matthew quotes Isaiah here, it's kind of like a hyperlink on a website, you know?
So you know when you get an email, let's say, and it says, click here to find out more,
and it's kind of blue and bold and underlined, right?
And you can click on those words, and then it pops up a new window,
and it opens kind of like a whole new page of information.
Well, that's like Matthew 1.
Today, I want us to click on the hyperlink of verse 23,
and it opens up the page of Isaiah 7.
And I want us to see how exactly Jesus fulfills this verse.
Because if we do, we will see Jesus doesn't only fulfill this
only because of the Virgin Mary,
and not only because he is God with us,
but also because his birth is God saying to a world at war,
to us scared about where all this is heading,
this is God saying, do not fear.
And so this evening is the first of our Advent sermons,
but it's really kind of the Advent to Advent,
the build-up to the build-up,
the story behind the prophecy.
And so let's click on that hyperlink now.
And the first thing to see is this.
The world is at war.
So turn back to Isaiah 7.
Isaiah 7.
This Christmas prophecy, it comes in a time of war.
So look at verse 1.
Ahaz is king in Jerusalem.
That's in Judah in the south.
That's where God's king rules from.
But Jerusalem is under threat.
So the northern kingdom of Israel have teamed up with Syria,
and they want to wage war with Judah.
So look at verse 2.
Syria is in league with Ephraim.
That's Israel, the northern kingdom.
This is kind of like your worst enemy
and your own brother teaming up against you.
And what are they trying to do, verse 6?
They've been saying,
let us go up against Judah and terrify it.
And let us conquer it for ourselves
and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it.
They want to invade, take over, destroy,
get rid of God's king
and set a new foreign king on the throne.
And how have God's people been feeling?
Verse 2.
The heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook.
That's the trees of the forest.
They're shaking in their boots.
It looks like the end.
Everyone is against them.
Everyone is against God.
That this world is just going off the rails around them.
And it looks like all of God's plans are about to fail.
Because if these enemies come in and kill and replace the king,
what happens to God's promise of a kingdom?
It's ended.
Kids, you thought about this earlier.
You can't have a kingdom without a king.
God's rule in this world,
the protection over his people,
his promise to save the world through a king,
it feels like all those promises
are just about to be wiped out.
And so we need to realise
that this is not simply a political war going on here.
This is the spiritual war in action.
This is Satan, through Israel and through Syria,
trying to win the spiritual war.
Trying to destroy God's kingdom and his king.
Just like we've seen in Genesis,
Satan tries to stop salvation,
stop God restoring this world,
but by going after God's chosen family.
Well, this is Satan going after the royal family.
As with any war,
this spiritual war,
it's a battle of kings.
And so if you take out God's king,
just like in chess,
you take out the king,
game over.
And it looks like that's about to happen here.
It's like they're faced with the impossible.
A terrifying future where God doesn't win in their lives.
And that's like how we can feel, isn't it?
We see all the forces against God,
against his church,
piling up against us.
All this godlessness flourishing around us,
and we can fear,
where is this world heading?
All the pressure against our faith at work,
and at school,
even in our families,
all that pressure just not relenting.
And we can fear,
where is the church heading?
And our hearts are at war, aren't they?
We feel like we just want to give in.
All those things inside us,
that pull us away from God.
And we can fear,
where is my heart heading?
And we're scared because we wonder,
can God even do anything about this?
Is he really in control of this world,
of my life?
And that's spiritual war.
It's happening here on the global stage,
here in Judah.
But what does God say to Ahaz, verse 4?
Be careful.
Be quiet.
Do not fear.
And do not let your heart be faint
because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands.
While the world is on fire,
God says,
relax.
Calm down.
Do not fear.
Why?
Because those threats,
those two nations that you see,
they're just two smouldering stumps.
So you know when you make a fire,
you ever made a fire?
And you let it burn down.
And after a few hours,
what do you get?
You kind of get these faintly glowing lumps of wood.
And you know,
as you see those kind of slightly glowing lumps,
you know you can't relight that.
There's no life in it.
It's just going to die soon.
Well, that's Israel and Syria.
It looks big and scary,
but God is going to kill that fire.
Look at verse 7.
It shall not stand.
And it shall not come to pass.
Syria and Israel,
your enemies,
they're going to be extinguished.
I'm in control of all of this.
In this spiritual war,
I am the one who wins.
And that is what happens.
Israel and Syria both get invaded,
brought into exile,
and those nations are put out.
And so God says,
do not fear.
But it's one thing saying that.
It's another thing showing us
why we don't need to fear.
So imagine you're up a tall ladder
and it feels sketchy and wobbly at the top.
And someone below just shouts to you,
relax, don't worry.
You hear that.
That alone is pretty useless.
Maybe I should worry.
Maybe I am going to fall.
But if you look down the ladder
and that person is holding the ladder
and they're saying,
don't worry,
I've got you,
well, that's an entirely different situation.
That's a sign
that I really don't need to worry.
Well, as the kingdom feels wobbly,
that the fate of God's people feels sketchy
and it looks like God's promises
are about to fall,
God says to King Ahaz,
look down the ladder.
I'm going to give you a sign
to show you
that you don't need to fear.
A sign showing you
that the enemies of this world,
all these spiritual forces
behind the curtain,
will not win
and my kingdom will come.
And what is that sign?
Verse 14.
Therefore, the Lord himself
will give you a sign.
Behold,
the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son
and shall call his name Emmanuel.
Here's why you don't need to fear
in this war zone.
Here's why my kingdom will come.
Here's why the fears
of all this world
are about to end
because God has given a sign
that he's holding the ladder.
He's in control
and that sign
is the miraculous birth
of a son.
And this is my next point.
The virgin birth
is God's sign
not to fear.
The virgin birth
is God's sign
not to fear.
I want
to look closely
at what God promises
here in this verse.
And I want us to see
why this sign
is the reason
you don't need to fear
in this world.
So look what God says.
Behold.
It's like God saying,
just watch.
You're scared
about your future.
You think,
I can't do anything
about this world.
You think this is the end
of the line
for my kingdom?
Just watch.
And watch what?
What's coming?
A son.
The big threat
has been,
what if God's
royal line ends?
God promised a king
to come from the line
of David
to rule the world.
But what if these enemies
actually come in
and end that line?
God's rule ends.
The war is lost.
The world is lost.
Satan wins.
But what does God say?
Just watch.
Behold.
I'm going to bring
a son.
And this is the son.
This son is the king
to end this war.
And who will that son
come from?
Behold.
The virgin shall conceive
and bear a son.
God is saying,
even if Satan
ends this line,
Ahaz,
even if you die,
do you think
that that can stop me?
Do you think
I'm dependent
on you
for my plans?
Do you think
you're the one
in control here?
No.
Even if you die,
Ahaz,
I can even
raise up a king
from a virgin.
Syria.
Kings.
Satan himself
cannot stop me.
I am bringing
my king.
And how he arrives
from a virgin,
this is the sign
of my power
in this world.
I can do the impossible.
But this won't be
any old king,
not just any old son.
What will he be called?
She shall call
his name
Immanuel.
Now,
the word Immanuel
literally means
in Hebrew
with us God.
I'm going to give you
a quick Hebrew lesson.
Imah,
that means with.
Nu
means us.
El
means God.
Put that together.
With us God.
God with us.
This son
is going to be
God himself.
Come to his people
to rule them
and protect them
and bring victory
over the forces
of darkness
in this world.
God himself
bringing his own kingdom.
God is saying here
as you look
at your fear-filled lives,
as you look
at this war zone
and the evil
in this world
and the battle
in your hearts
and you wonder
if God can do
anything about
this,
here's the sign,
here's the proof
that I can.
It's a son,
a boy
and when you
see this boy
you can know
I'm in complete
control.
I'm holding
the ladder,
the future
of my people
is certain
and I will
win this war.
That is what
God is promising
here.
And so,
if we follow
the hyperlink
back to Matthew,
it gives an even
deeper meaning
to Jesus'
conception.
As Jesus
first appears
in the womb
of Mary,
that little speck,
as the nine-month
wait to his birth
begins,
that little boy
growing in her womb,
that son,
is the guarantee
of God's victory
in this world.
That son
is the one
to end all fears
in this world.
And that is
exactly who we find
in the Lord Jesus.
as you look
back to that
birth,
that son,
we can say,
behold,
this is the
son,
the king,
to end the war
of this world.
The child
who came
to guarantee
God's victory
in the war zone,
to defeat evil,
to defeat the devil
and end even
death itself,
to bring God's
perfect kingdom
into this world.
And that is what
Jesus has done.
on the cross,
bearing the guilt
of his people,
the Lamb of God,
taking away
the sin of the world,
bearing the curse
of creation
upon his brow,
and in doing so,
disarming the devil,
taking all power
from the evil one.
And three days later,
rising from the dead
in victory
over death,
and now
enthroned as king
with complete control
over creation,
sitting in victory
over this war.
That is who
the Lord Jesus is.
The sign
of God's victory
in this world.
And that's what's
going on
in creation
right now.
Like Judah,
we can feel
the threats
all around us.
Like we're in
a losing battle.
Like it is just
getting harder
and harder
to be a Christian.
Like the whole world
is up against us.
It's not easy
at work,
it's not comfortable
at school,
I'm not looking
forward to the
family gathering
at Christmas.
Like Judah,
it feels like
we're losing
this spiritual war.
You see the decline
of the church
in the UK
like it's fizzling out,
you see godlessness
becoming normal,
and it feels like
just Satan's winning
this spiritual war.
We feel that
in our hearts
as our faith
feels fragile
and thin,
and it feels like
sin has the real
power in my heart.
And we are just
scared about
what lies ahead,
and we wonder
how can the church
even survive?
How can I survive?
That is what it
feels like.
But what is the
reality?
God says,
look.
Behold.
Look back
to this son,
his birth,
his work,
all that he has done,
this son is God's side.
He's proof
that God has
victory in this war.
He's now
already sat
in victory
over this war.
Yes,
battles rage
down here,
but with the
coming of Christ,
the war
has now been won.
All that is
going on
in this world
is actually
just a losing
battle for Satan.
he cannot
kill the church.
For those
who belong
to Christ,
he cannot
snatch you
out of the
Father's hand.
He's not
in control
of your future.
No,
God is in
control of
Satan's future.
Satan
and evil
and even
death,
they are like
smouldering
stumps in this
world.
They're still
there,
but they're
going to be
utterly
extinguished
soon.
And so
God says
to his
people,
you don't
need to
fear about
your future.
You don't
need to
fear about
the battle
that lies
ahead,
because I'm
in control.
I am the
one who
wins in
your life,
and how
do you
know,
well,
behold,
my son.
This is
the sign,
the proof.
you can
look back
to the
birth of
Christ,
and know
that is
God's
sign,
guaranteeing
my future.
But this
victory,
it's also
related to
this son
being from
a virgin.
Have you
ever wondered
why a
virgin birth
is promised
here?
Why this
is so key
to the
Christian faith?
We even
confessed it
this morning
in the
Apostles'
Creed.
We said,
I believe
in Jesus
Christ,
who was
conceived
by the
Holy Spirit,
born of
the
Virgin Mary.
Why,
of all
things,
why is
the
virgin
birth
a sign,
proof,
that God
will win
this war?
Well,
it's because
it's key
to how
God wins
this war.
Because what
does it take
to win
this spiritual
war?
Our sins
need to be
paid for.
We need
a sinless
human,
a sinless
son,
to bear
our sin
for us.
But what
is the
problem
with how
every
human,
every
son,
is usually
born in
this world?
When anyone
is born
naturally in
this world,
we are born
in sin.
I won't do
the birds and
the bees for
you,
but when a
father and a
mother have a
child in this
world,
that is two
sinners producing
another sinner in
this world.
we all
inherit the
sinful nature
of our
parents.
But,
what if you
have a
child not
conceived
naturally,
but
supernaturally?
Not by
two sinners
coming together,
but by the
Holy Spirit
creating something
new.
What will
that child
be like?
he will
be
sinless.
Still a
man,
but he
wouldn't
inherit that
sin that we
are all born
into.
And that is
key to God's
victory in
this world.
We see
evil all
around us.
It feels
like sin
has the
power in
this world,
but as that
sinless child
appears in
that womb,
that is God
breaking the
power of
evil in
this world.
With
every pure
thought he
had,
with every
righteous act
of obedience,
with all
that love
in his heart
that he
had for
his father,
that was
the Lord
ensuring
victory for
his church.
It is
through the
sinless Christ
that is how
God wins
this war.
Satan tries
to accuse
us of all
that we've
done wrong.
He tries
to bring up
all our sin
before God,
And so
how do I
know Satan
won't win
that court
case?
How do I
know I'm
truly accepted
before God
and that my
sin isn't
what defines
me anymore?
Why do I
not have to
fear about
that?
What's the
sign?
What's the
proof?
Behold,
look to the
virgin birth.
That is God's
sign for you.
that is your
sinless
saviour.
God has
brought victory
in this world
and it's
through the
virgin birth.
And it's
through this
son being
Emmanuel.
In the
womb of the
Virgin Mary,
that little
speck,
that is God
taking on
human flesh
to be with
his people,
to dwell
with us.
and that
is key
to how
God brings
victory into
this world.
Because how
did this war
start?
Where did
all this
evil and
fear and
threat and
all these
enemies come
from?
It all
stems from
us not
being with
God.
We walked
away from
God in
that garden.
He cast
us out of
his presence
and that
was the
beginning of
the war.
And salvation
and victory
in this
spiritual war
has always
been found
by coming
back into
God's
presence.
It's there
in the
tabernacle.
It's there
in the
temple.
That is
where humanity
always finds
restoration and
safety in
this war.
And here,
in the
birth of
Christ,
the
restoration
has come.
God
with us.
God
is the
promise here
in Isaiah
is the
advent of
God making
this world
right again.
And God
is saying,
I'm ending
this war
by being
with you.
And this
is why God
says to his
people,
do not
fear.
In this
sketchy
world,
and everything
seems against
God,
and it feels
like we're
about to
fall,
and the
church just
feels wobbly,
God says,
here's the
sign.
Here's the
proof that
I'm in
control,
and holding
the ladder,
look to
the virgin
birth.
Look to
Emmanuel.
Do not
fear.
I'm with
you.
And for
those in
Christ,
that goes
for everything
in your
life.
You may
fear where
the world
is heading,
or where
your faith
is heading,
or where
the church
is heading,
but you
also may
just be
fearing what
lies ahead
this week.
That
meeting,
that phone
call,
just the
unknown,
and it
feels like
threats all
around.
Well,
God says
to you,
do not
fear.
Look to
the virgin
birth,
look to
Emmanuel,
I'm with
you.
And if
you're here
tonight,
and you're
scared about
where this
world is
heading,
and you've
come here
just looking
for answers,
God says,
you can
actually know
the future.
You can
know where
all of this
is going to
end up.
He's given
you a sign,
proof.
Behold,
look at the
birth of
his son.
History is
going to end
with God
winning.
And not
only that,
trust in
him and
your future
becomes
secure.
people,
you get
to share
in the
victory in
this world.
History
ends with
the church
winning.
Christ has
come to
end the
fears of
this world,
to guarantee
the future
of this
world.
Trust in
him and
you will
have nothing
to fear.
Let's
pray.
God
to
have
to
have
to
have