← ArchiveSunday, December 22, 2013DateDecember 22, 2013Speaker—TextIsaiahPassages in this sermonIsaiah 70:09Isaiah 89:32Matthew 1:1811:13Isaiah 920:38Matthew 225:27Luke 225:37Philippians 231:38Isaiah 633:53Deuteronomy 31:636:12Hebrews 13:536:59TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Why? Well, I told you two weeks ago I wanted to bring another message on Emmanuel, God with us. So if you have your Bibles with you, I want you to turn with me to Isaiah chapter 7. Isaiah chapter 7 is the earliest point that we see this name Emmanuel mentioned. Now, the very meaning of the name is seen throughout scriptures from Genesis all the way. We'll see that too. But Emmanuel, that word, that name that brings such comfort and challenge to us0:26as the angels give forth that he shall be Emmanuel, God with us, but you shall call him Jesus. We see this name used as it was meant in the immediate as well as how it was meant in the future. And I don't know anybody that has children, grandchildren, that you don't want to see their0:52future being well or their future going well. You don't want to look to the future and see devastation and tragedy and heartache and hurt. You want to leave your grandchildren, you want to leave your children with a thought and with a mindset that no matter how bad things get, there's hope.1:17You know, that's exactly what God gives us when he gives us the name Emmanuel, God with us. As Isaiah is speaking to King Ahaz, King Ahaz is living in a very dark day for Judah. He is living in a dark day and you read about it in chapter seven, you read about it in chapter eight,1:44read about chapter nine, 10, 11, because he's looking at the invasion of an army that is much greater and bigger than him. He's not getting along with his brother Israel as it is, nor is he getting along with the king. Ahaz and the king of Israel are not seeing eye to eye on things. They've been separated for some time now. And now Israel has made an alignment with Syria. And so Syria and Israel in2:10their alignment are seeking to force Judah and Ahaz into making an alliance with them as well. And then they will all go against Assyria who is growing in strength and might and marching against all of them. Now in the midst of that life, if you were the president or the king of a country,2:34you can imagine the oppression that you would feel, the stress and the pressures that you feel. I heard something the other day I thought was interesting. It was about an old football coach and he was going to retire one year, but he decided that he would hang on one more year and he waited and played out that year. And then he did retire. And, uh, one announcer asked him when he announced it3:02now was his retirement time and he was going to retire. Why didn't you retire last year? And you know, that was a pretty bold question, but the answer was there were so many people that I was responsible for and I hadn't worked things out yet. There was so many people that worked for me, so many people with families that I was responsible for that I wanted to make sure that3:30those people were taken care of as I approached my retirement. I thought that's, that's a good thing. That's, that's a good thing to look for. And you see that in, in people as they look out for other people. And I'm sure that as Ahaz looked out upon the nation, being young and inexperienced as he might've been, Ahaz is looking out upon a nation that he's responsible for. He's responsible for their3:56wellbeing. He's responsible for their, uh, their needs, their concerns, their protection. He provides the army. They provide the army. He provides the leadership. He's responsible. He is the king of, of Judah that has fellowship with God. It is through him that God has chosen to lead his people or he4:17wouldn't be king. And so with all this on him, we begin reading the Lord spoke again to Ahaz. Now God didn't speak directly to Ahaz. He spoke directly to Ahaz, who spoke directly from God to Ahaz. He spoke to a prophet that was a prophet for the king. And so the Lord spoke again to Ahaz saying, ask a sign4:42one for yourself from the Lord, your God. In other words, ask me and I'm going to help you. Make it deep as Sheol and as high as heaven. In other words, there is no limit to what I want you to ask of me.5:03Now I want to ask you something this morning. Have you ever thought about God posing a question and an opportunity to you? And he said, ask whatever you will of me. It doesn't matter how wide it is. It doesn't matter how deep it is. It doesn't matter what it encompasses. You ask it. Have you ever thought5:33about what your question or what you would ask for? You know, we would think real quickly and we might ask for an immediate need. We might think about it for a moment and say, oh yeah, I want, I'd love to have won that lottery last week, wouldn't y'all. I mean, really six million dollars, a hundred million. I can't even5:59find, but anyway, we shouldn't be talking about it. But, but he said, yeah, but seriously though, we, we sometimes would think I want more money. Why? Well, because I would want to help more people. And because I do this and because I do that. When in reality, you don't have a clue what you'd do. But Ahaz, he's got the stresses and the pressures of an approaching enemy. He's got his, his, his, his, his6:25neighboring brother country right up the road. He's got Syria here. He's got all these things that are going on in his kingdom. And God says, you ask of anything. Now that's the setting for Emmanuel. That's the setting that God gives us for life. That's the opportunity God's giving us as we think about what's the most6:50important thing that God can give us. What was the most important thing that I could ask for? And we would think, what's the most intelligent question that I might ask? What's the most wise question or concern that I might ask of God? But listen to this. God says, make it deep as she, oh, high is heaven. But7:18Ahaz said, I'll not ask, nor will I test the Lord. Scaredy cat. Why? Well, for the most part, there's responsibility that comes with any kind of request like that. Maybe there's, he's thinking about the responsibility he might face. Maybe he's afraid. Maybe he just7:48doesn't trust God. So he uses this excuse where he's not going to test God. And then the Lord said, listen now, house of David, is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men that you will try the patience of my God as well? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin8:11will be with child and bear a son, and she shall call his name Emmanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. Now there was an immediate8:34prophecy for Ahaz, immediate message for Ahaz concerning what he was about to face. But there was also a very definite future prophecy concerning the salvation of all mankind that would trust and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that as God speaks through Isaiah, Isaiah speaks to Ahaz. Ahaz reflects much of what8:59what we see in Christianity today. And that's people who refuse to live by the faith and the truth of God's word and supplement it with worldly wisdom and desires and actions of our flesh. And that's a tragedy.9:20Because God literally promised Ahaz anything. And Ahaz refuses the answer. Isaiah 8, if you want to just turn over real quick. Again the Lord, verse 5, spoke to Isaiah, again the Lord spoke to me, father saying,9:43talking about Isaiah here. And as much as these people have rejected the gentle flowing waters of Siloah. In other words, they've rejected what God has offered. That's the symbolism here. And now they rejoice in Risen, who is the king of Syria, and they rejoice in the son of Remaliah, who is the king of Israel. Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to go, or excuse me, about to bring on them a strong and10:11abundant waters of the Euphrates, a symbolism of what's about to happen. Even the king of Assyria in all its glory. And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all of its banks. In other words, there's going to be a flood of the Assyrians through this country and through this land like you've never seen. And it's going to seem as though it will sweep on into Judah. It will overflow and pass through.10:36It will reach up even to the neck. It's going to be an overwhelming invasion. And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land. Oh God with us. Oh Emmanuel. Wow. Interesting setting for the name. An interesting situation for a king. But you know, as interesting as it is,11:02in Matthew 1 18, you've read this, you can just listen as I read it. Now the birth of Jesus came as follows. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to11:26disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid. In other words, don't be afraid of what's going to happen. Ahaz, don't be afraid. Joseph, don't be afraid of what's going to happen. Take Mary as your wife for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy11:52Spirit, prophesied there in Isaiah. He is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son,12:19and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which translated means God with us. And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus. The greatest challenge ever offered. You know,12:44I've studied Isaiah. I've studied the New Testament. I've read it, and yet, you know, you read through things sometimes, but you don't catch the challenge. And to me, it's so important that we catch that challenge that God has laid forth for Ahaz, because I think God lays that very challenge before us. And if13:07we're not careful, we look at the challenge, and we look at what he's offering us through the eyes of a human being, and the eyes of flesh, and through the eyes that have been tainted and tempered by the things of the world, and not the eyes of a holy God who's offering us this great challenge. At least Ahaz couldn't take his eyes off the pending doom of an Assyrian nation that was coming upon him. He13:34couldn't take his eyes off the fear of Syria and the concerns of Israel, his brother nation. He couldn't take his eyes off the things that are going on around him and focus on the God who from the beginning had promised that he would never leave him or ever forsake him to give an answer that at least would bring him to a place where he could truly be the leader of his people. And I wonder how14:00many of us today are faced with a similar question. And with a similar response, we look at how we might ask that question or answer the challenge that God has posed us. And we begin thinking about it. And before we know it, we're looking at it through eyes of flesh, we're looking at it through worldly desire, we're looking at it through want to's, not realizing that God has a greater plan and a greater hope and a14:30greater expectation and a greater desire than we could ever imagine through his giving us the opportunity when he says, ask of me. And let it let the desire be as deep as shield and let it be as high as heaven is. God is prepared to meet our14:46lives challenges today. That's what I hear. God says, Ahaz, let me help you meet the challenge of Assyria. Let me help you meet the challenge of Syria. Let me help you meet the challenge of joining Syria and Israel. Let me come into your life. Let me bring you that which you can experience15:14and know in power and might. And let me take away the fear of where you are. Let me tell you, I know a lot of people that are afraid because of where they are today. There are a lot of people that have a lot of things going on in their lives because of where they are today. There are a lot of people that are looking at things in their life while God is seeking, God is demanding their attention from the15:43things of their life. It's not unlike the experience that the disciples had in the boat as Jesus slept in the bow of the boat and the storms begin to build around them and the winds begin to sail upon them and the lightning and the thunder rose and the waves begin to swamp the boat and And out of great fear, they wake Jesus up asking him, do you want us to perish? Why? Because they were looking at the storm and forgetting the16:12Let's quit looking at all the world has set up to distract us. You know, I know that it's beautiful to drive around and go, oh, look at these decorations and they are, they are pretty. Don't get me wrong. I love the green and I love the red. I do. I love all that. But if we're not careful, it's the, it's those things16:42things that begin to distract away from what Christmas is all about. Because we go by and we look, you know, it's, it's, it's kind of like a, um, I can't even think of his name, but, but, but, but, but, but you, you, you have these movies out now where they, they're competing, uh, to decorate houses. So, you know, what? Oh, somebody said something. I thought somebody was whispering to me. Was you saying something? Oh, it's a new one. Oh, yeah.17:13So, so, so they are. But, but, but, but, but you know, have you driven by and, and said, you know, I'd like for our house to look that way. I never do. Gail does.17:24And, because I never want to do everything everybody does. Because whatever you put up, guess what you have to do? Amen. You know, if I'm going to decorate, let's decorate, let's decorate, say, leave it up year round.17:54Yeah. And then we look like we live on the bayou. And, but, but, but you know, we do live in a day when we're distracted by the decorations and we're overwhelmed by trying to keep up with everybody else to the point that God says, wait a minute, I've got something that can answer every need in your life. And the tragedy is we walk away from that.18:24We like Ahaz. Ahaz had an opportunity to say, I know, you know, God, God literally saying this, Ahaz, don't be dominated by your enemy. Don't let your enemy overwhelm you. Don't let your enemy distract you. I want to tell you, you have an enemy today, by the way. I believe with all my heart that there is a devil. I believe that he has a whole horde of followers.18:51And I believe just as scripture teaches us that we have a worldly influence on the direction of his authority and power at this day and age that seeks to distract and destroy and demeanor everything that God's doing. And if he can do anything in our life today, it is to bring us under his authority of fear rather than us living under the power of faith.19:10Ahaz, ask anything. And I'll show you what kind of God you serve. God is able to meet our life's greatest challenges.19:36You know, sometimes we become concerned and overwhelmed by the challenge that we face because we are more fearful of not succeeding in the challenge. When maybe it's not the success of the challenge that we need to be looking at, but the opportunity to live through the challenge. Maybe success is not defined as we think it is defined. In other words, sometimes the greatest victors of a challenge are those that lose.20:06Because more is learned in losing than always winning. And so God is able to meet our lives' greatest challenges. God knows Judah is about to go through a great time of oppression, a great time of judging.20:29But God says, even through all of this, as you study Isaiah 8 and as you study Isaiah 9, He says, there's going to be a remnant. There's always going to be hope in Israel. There's always a promise to be fulfilled for Israel. Israel, don't be overwhelmed. Ask of me and I'll show you the hope of eternity. The world only offers temporary solutions to life's challenges.21:00They never last. The world only offers a moment of rest because the challenge continues to exist. When God says, if you believe and trust Him, Hebrews, you can enter into His rest. So the greatest challenge ever offered is there. Then the greatest challenge ever rejected is seen.21:26Again, the Lord spoke to me, Father, saying, Inasmuch as these people have rejected. When we reject what God brings in our life, you say, Brother Christian, we really, I think we can reject a lot that God wants to do in our life. I believe through disobedience. I believe through stubbornness of heart. I believe through a coldness of indifference. We can reject the peace, the hope, and the understanding of God.21:54I can't tell you how many times I've counseled with folks and it comes down for the believer. A choice. A choice of trusting and believing God and doing what God has called them to do. Or rejecting what God is offering them and the opportunity and making a different choice that ultimately brings greater pain and greater tragedy to their lives. I believe there are folk right here in this congregation right now and God has challenged you to step up.22:20God has challenged you to love more. God has challenged you to give more. God has challenged you to do more. And instead, you're looking around and you're finding every excuse and every reason to believe that God can't use you. God has saw a dark day in his life when he rejected the opportunity that God was giving him.22:46The greatest challenge ever rejected was rejected because of the pressures of outside sources. I want to tell you something. God in you in a room can defeat the world.23:12But when you come out of that room and you leave God in there, you're all right smack in to defeat yourself. The challenge was met with a false understanding of what God wanted to do. You see that because Ahaz said, I will not ask nor will I test the Lord. There was a false understanding in the king's mind and in the king's eyes concerning what God was challenging him.23:34Sometimes the world looked stronger than we are. I want to tell you, I believe Goliath looked stronger than David. But David wasn't afraid to face Goliath. I think sometimes the world is greater and stronger than we are. But he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. At Christmas time of all the times in the world, it is the greatest season for suicide.23:59People are overwhelmed by their debt. They are overwhelmed by their sorrows. They are overwhelmed by their feeling concerning the future. They are overwhelmed by their failures. They are overwhelmed by their weaknesses. They are overwhelmed by their blindness when we have a God who has said,24:27Ask of me. It is so sad that God desires that his people live by faith in him and him alone. And we seek to live life by what we see, feel, and touch. God's desire, according to his truth, is that we release ourself from what the world is offering24:56and absorb and take on what God is giving. So there's the greatest challenge ever offered. And then there's the greatest rejection ever made. And then there's the greatest hope ever received. And that brings me to Matthew. In Matthew chapter 2, when you begin, or chapter 1, when you begin reading about the birth of Jesus Christ and how it came about.25:27And over in Luke chapter 2, you continue to read. You find that the birth of Jesus in Matthew, there's a group of men called magi that make their way. There's a man's life, Joseph, who is changed. And in Luke, you find that there's an opportunity for God to offer himself to a bunch of shepherds out in a field guarding their flock.25:52Do I need to remind you that shepherds were the lowest on the rung of humanity in the day of Jesus? The shepherds were those that were filthy and those that stunk and those that got away from everybody and those that stayed away from everybody. And might I also remind you that throughout Scripture, it is God himself who reminds us that he is the chief shepherd.26:19But these shepherds who are out in the fields watching their flock by night, these shepherds who are the recluse of their generation, they are the throwaways of their society. They are doing the best they can with the least they've got. And it is them that this heavenly host comes and sings to as God says,26:45Hey guys, I'm offering you an opportunity to find the greatest hope ever given, but you're going to have to leave your sheep and come find this babe in a manger. As we read in Matthew, these magi, the wisest, the most knowledgeable of their time, live far away. I was kidding with my Sunday school class this morning.27:14And, you know, there are preacher jokes and there are jokes. You know, some people say, well, what were the magi? And I said, they were firemen. And there's two ladies who looked at me. And I said, they said, they come from afar.27:44You know, you study the magi. I love studying sometimes people who like to study. Because people who like to study like their opinion about as good as they do anybody else's. But the only true opinion that you can base your life on concerning truth is the truth of God's Word, guys. It's Scripture. It's not what somebody says about Scripture. It's what God says in the Scripture. It's not what I think about Scripture. It's what God says about himself that we need to understand.28:14Truth is embedded and alive and real in the Word of God. Not in the commentary of the greatest minds that ever lived or the holiest men that ever lived. It's their opinion just like it is anybody else's. I can bring you three godly, godly men commentaries. And three different ones will disagree on several specific events that take place. But the one thing that we can't disagree on today is it really doesn't matter what kind of men the magi were.28:41They were men that were willing to leave wherever they came from to come find that king born in a manger. They weren't arguing over where he was born. They just wanted to find him. My friend, those shepherds standing out there in the middle of the wilderness hearing this angelic host29:05leaving the area of their responsibility came to find that same babe in a manger, that same babe in a barn, that same babe in a spare, wherever he was. It doesn't matter what matters is that they found the challenge of God for their life.29:28And that's Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is our challenge today as well. Now, Ahaz was given a great challenge. No doubt, ask anything. Jesus Christ comes to meet the greatest challenge today. And you know what that challenge is? That our sins can be forgiven.29:57You know, the hardest thing that you and I have to deal with in coming to Christ and coming to God is that God would love us enough to forgive us of our sins. And it doesn't matter who you are today. It doesn't matter what walk in life that you've traveled. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter where you've been. It doesn't matter what you've thought. God comes today to challenge you where you are and say to you, it doesn't matter.30:27What matters is that you meet my son. What matters is that you get to know my son. What matters is that you believe, you trust, you faith, my son. That there's nothing else the world has to offer that can take away your sins. There's no promise that Satan can give you that will wash away your sins. There's nothing in the world at Christmas that's more important at this time of year than Jesus Christ.30:53My friend, I want to tell you, the world would exploit this day if it weren't for a few that said the most important thing about Christmas it's not what I get, not what I give, but what was done for me.31:22And that was Jesus Christ coming. And you know, it's better explained than I can explain it in Philippians chapter 2 than at any other time when Paul explains to us that God stepped out of heaven thinking it not robbery to be equal with God31:50but stepped out of heaven and became a man. Stepped out of heaven and lived the vulnerability of a babe. Can you imagine? I told my Sunday school class this morning one of the most precious songs that I know is Mary, Did You Know? Did you know you were kissing the face of God? Did you know you were holding the King of Glory?32:17Did you know? Did you know? And I want to ask you today as God enters into the realm of where we are through the truth of his word and he says, I can do for you what you cannot do for yourself. I can give you what no one else can give you. Will you trust by faith the gospel of Jesus Christ today and experience Christmas32:46as it should be experienced? Will you meet the challenge and say, God, I'll trust you for all? You know, Ahaz, he didn't need to say, well, you know, God, I want a million-man army. All Ahaz needed to say was, I hear you, God, and I trust you. I trust you. Today, a lot of people are hurting33:15because they've forgotten how to trust God. They've forgotten to trust God. They've forgotten that God is with us. Emmanuel, God with us. What does that mean? Well, let's listen. What does it mean? It reminds us of this. It reminds us of our humility33:43before a holy God. Read anywhere in Scripture. And when somebody came into the presence of God, they humbled themselves. Isaiah humbled himself in Isaiah chapter 6. Moses was humbled up on the mountain before God. We are filled with humility when we realize, Emmanuel, God is with us. Our worship doesn't become a once-a-week-on-Sunday-morning event. When we realize that Emmanuel, God with us, doesn't mean that God is just living up here,34:13but that God is living out there, that God is living in the future. He's living in the past. He's living in the present. He's with us, and we worship Him. We show our worship with our work. We show our worship with our commitments to our wives. We show our work with our commitment to our husbands. We show our worship by our obedience to our parents. We show our worship by our sacrifice in sharing the good news. We have our confidence.34:42God with us gives me confidence. I want to tell you, there were people growing up in high school that I liked hanging out with because they were big, and they were mean, and they were ugly. And when I hung around with them, and I realized they weren't nearly as mean as everybody else thought they were, it was okay as long as everybody else thought they were mean. Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you hear me? God with us humbles me35:13and helps me have confidence. I'm not worried about Obamacare. I'm not worried about Democrats and Republicans. Because you see, God is with me. You say, wait a minute, preacher, you ain't lost your job yet. Well, it may not be far off after this message. I don't know. Our peace.35:43Our peace. The Bible promises a peace that passes all understanding. Have you entered that peace? Do you know that peace? Now, if I could explain it to you, it wouldn't pass all understanding. But it's a peace that passes all understanding. Our every present help in a time of trouble is with me every day. Listen to our promise as he speaks in Deuteronomy 31.6.36:12Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and tremble at them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. In verses 7 and 8, he repeats it. The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Oh, Israel, if they could have only listened to their own history concerning their God. To Joshua, God speaks,36:41no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. And just as God was with Moses, God is with us through Emmanuel, Jesus Christ. The bottom line, Hebrews 13.5. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, I will never desert you,37:10nor will I ever forsake you. so that so confidently you can know he's there. The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What will man do to me? The presence of God today demands our repentance, not our rededication. I don't think God is glorified God by the rededication37:39of people who are constantly rededicating what they don't have to begin with. But I think God is glorified when people repent, turn from their sins, and trust God for their life. Paul did not go around preaching rededication. Paul preached Emmanuel, God with us. Repent and believe the gospel. God with you. My friend, our lives need to be saturated38:09by the good news, God with us. By the good news, God forgives us. By the good news, God loves us. By the good news, heaven and earth will pass away. But God's word will stand forever. He will always be with me and with you. So this Christmas,38:40put your faith in the message of the manger. Messiah of the manger. The moment of the manger. The meaning of the manger. And let God live through your life. Meet the challenge and don't be afraid39:09like Ahaz was. Let's pray. Father, today, if there's any message that challenges us, it's Emmanuel. Just the very meaning, God with us. Help us to come to a full understanding, God. And maybe we need, no, maybe we need your Holy Spirit to give us the enlightenment of what it means to have Emmanuel, God, with me. To walk as God is with me.39:39To move as God is with me. To talk as God is with me. To understand that my worship is that Emmanuel is with me every day. He never leaves me or forsakes me. He never runs from me. Oh, Emmanuel, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Holy One of Israel, sacrifice for my sins. come down40:09come down and meet with us today that we will be forever changed at Christmas. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Won't you stand for our hymn of invitation? And as this hymn of invitation goes, it has a multiplicity of opportunities for you. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior today, if you've never confessed him as the Lord of your life, we invite you to step out and come. We invite you40:39to know the King of kings and the Lord of lords. For he stands just as he stood as Isaiah spoke to Ahaz. What will we do? Maybe you're looking for a church home and God's brought you here to be a part of what God's doing here. We invite you to step out and come. However God has spoken to you, whatever God is saying to you, won't you just simply obey and come. Thank you.41:07Thank you.More sermons on Isaiah →
