Hope Shows Up

The word I can never escape when it comes to Christmas is the word Immanuel. It comes at me every year…and truthfully it fascinates me. God is “with us.”

There are so many implications in that simple phrase. With us- among us, alongside us, next to us…on our side...

And maybe that last one is the reason why I can’t let that word go…God is on my side. Do you like having people on your side? In our day and time, it seems like everyone is looking for someone to be on their side. To agree with them. To be for them. To take their part. To accept them. To rally to them…to not quit on them.

Those last few statements…they uplift us. They give us hope, and hope is something that is in short supply. We are constantly bombarded with despair and desolation and a sense of impending doom- either the climate is going to be destroyed or the liberals are going to eat us or we are on the verge of a living version of the handmaids tale or they are coming for our guns or our kids or our rights…dear Lord, what an awful time to be alive…but what a great time to be reborn…to have hope in something beyond this world.

Immanuel. God with us.

These next few weeks in the run up to Christmas, that’s what we are going to delve in to…what happens when hope is up close…what does that promise us…how does that change us…and how can it move us to take that hope to a world that seems to no longer know the definition of the word...

Before we dig into the main text, I want you to turn turn with me to Matthew 1:23.

In the midst of the prophecy of the birth of Jesus to Joseph, the angel tells Joseph that the son he will hold is “God with us.” Joseph is going to hold the hope of the world in his hands.

Matthew 3. The Virginal Conception: God Becomes Human (1:18–25)

Matthew quotes Isa 7:14 in a form similar to that of the LXX. Isaiah’s prophecy is viewed as God’s word. “Immanuel” is translated for the benefit of those in Matthew’s audience who could not understand the Hebrew.

Matthew 3. The Virginal Conception: God Becomes Human (1:18–25)

The passage climaxes by claiming this child to be “Immanuel,” meaning God with us. Verse 21 introduces the key Matthean theme of God’s presence with his people, which is emphasized again at the end of his Gospel in 28:18–20. The church in every age should recognize here a clear affirmation of Jesus’ deity and cling tightly to this doctrine as crucial for our salvation. At the same time, Matthew wants to emphasize that Jesus, as God, is “with us”; deity is immanent. Too often those who have rightly contended for Jesus’ full deity have created a God to whom they do not feel close rather than one who became human in every way like them but without sin (Heb 4:15). As God “with us,” Jesus enables us to come boldly before God’s throne (Heb 4:16) when we accept the forgiveness of sins he made available (Matt 1:21) and develop an intimate relationship with him.

Hope shows up. And this morning I want you you to know, that Jesus didn’t come and leave. He came and established a beachhead- an invasion of hope- that the Holy Spirit continues to this day. And He wants you to experience that hope- up close- that He made possible by His entry into the world and the life He lived and the death He died and the Resurrection that proclaimed that something had changed! (Gospel presentation here)

And after that moment of transformation, the reality that Jesus is “God with us” translates to emboldening us- we can go TO God, we can TALK to Him, we can HEAR Him, we can be in a relationship with Him…in short, the Good News of the arrival of Jesus is that God is not distant…He is PRESENT!

Now turn with me to Isaiah 9:2-7 and let’s look at what happens when Hope shows up!

Hope brings Light pierces the darkness!- (v2)when hope shows up, it is visible and noticeable. You cannot miss it. It is the flashlight that banishes the darkness in a windowless room. Hope cuts through. - “This light was a sign that God had not completely given up on his people. A new day of hope and light will eventually arrive”- Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 238.- The arrival of Jesus Hod with us- is proof that God has not given up on humanity…as a whole…or YOU!

Hope brings joy (v3)- the joy in v3 is compared to the people dividing the harvest. Stop and think about a farmer or farming community…everyone works hard- sometimes it looks bleak when the rain doesn’t come or too much rain or wind or bugs…etc…but when the harvest comes, when the food is brought from the ground- the bounty…the sustenance…all the hardship is worth it…that’s what hope does…it comes and gives MEANING to hardship and gives us the courage to carry on in the face of adversity- to face the challenge with joy- a sense of peace and contentment despite circumstances- “Two illustrations of wild celebrative joy are used to compare the people’s future happiness. The people will rejoice and jump for joy like people do when they see an unusually massive harvest (possibly referring to the joy at the Feast of Weeks; Deut 16:9–12) or when they observe the hoards of goods brought home by the troops after an enemy nation is plundered.”- Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 239.

Hope crushes opposition (v4-5)- when hope shows up we feel invincible (Avengers: Endgame- when Cap hears “on your left”- I tear up every time lol) When hope shows up we rise to fight again…to continue…to press on…despite the odds or the past or what is in front of our face…hope inspires confidence! - “The yoke, bar, and rod (used of Assyria’s oppression in 10:24–27) were instruments used to dominate people and force them to work physically, or they could be used as metaphors to describe a heavy burden put on people through increased taxation or domineering rule. The burning of the boots and the bloody clothes of enemy soldiers in 9:5 signify a victory in holy war where spoils were dedicated to God and military equipment was set on fire (cf. Josh 11:6, 9; Ezek 39:9). Although this may usher in a time of peace without war (as in 2:4), the focus of this promise is simply on the utter defeat of the enemy. There is no prediction concerning when in the future this will happen.” - Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 239.

Where does this all come from???? These pronouncements and declarative statements…they come from Jesus. Look at vs 6-7...

What is He like?

Wonderful Counselor- combines the idea of doing something “wonderful, extraordinary, miraculous” (peleʾ) with the skill of “giving wise advice, making plans, counsel.” This suggests that this son’s life will somehow exhibit “miraculous acts of God”347 employed in the sphere of wise planning or decision-making.- Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 240.

Mighty God- the name might mean, “God is mighty” or “God is a mighty warrior,”- Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 241.

Everlasting Father- One who will rule forever…and who commands eternity

Prince of Peace- an end to war/battle and oppression and ultimately an enduring peace or rest

His ARRIVAL…His “with us” is what changes everything...

He is in full control (government)

He brings an ever expanding peace- no one will be able to successfully undermine His authority- He is undefeated

He rules eternally

He brings justice and righteousness

Isaiah 1–39 (1) The Reign of a Righteous King (9:1–7)

Isaiah offers a rhetorical assurance to his listeners concerning the fulfillment of this promise. Simply stated, God Almighty himself will do it. With unassailable zeal, determination, and passion God will concentrate his efforts to accomplish this marvelous deed. Isaiah’s listeners can be absolutely sure that an omnipotent, sovereign God will stand behind the fulfillment of this wonderful plan

But look at verse 6…the beginning…who is all of this FOR???

US!!!

Humanity. The whole of the earth!

And what is keeping us from this hope and peace and all these other things we have named is our unwillngness to accept what God has said- that He is with us.

That He has drawn near.

Where are you fighting God’s hope this morning?

Where are you unwilling to accept God’s desire to draw near to you?

What are you keeping as a barrier between Him and you?