Immanuel: God With Us (2)

Everyone has a family Christmas tale. So do I. Christmas 1983. Now I wasn’t old enough to remember much of this, but this is how it is told. Our tradition was to go to my great grandparents’ house and do Christmas there on the night of Christmas Eve. Then we would drive back home to Morganton so we could do our family Christmas at home. Then, Christmas morning, after our Christmas at home, we would get back in the car and go back to Asheville to my grandparents house and have another Christmas there.

Well, on the evening of Christmas Eve, 1983, we had finished up our big extended family Christmas at my great grandparents’ house. We head outside and our car is frozen. Now, this Christmas Eve was one of the coldest of my lifetime. Weather records for Asheville show that it was one degree below zero at 9pm in Asheville with a 30mph wind. And our car was one of those diesel station wagons that you had to plug in. So we weren’t going anywhere. We ended up spending the night at my grandparents’ house and going home the next day.

In 1983, I was three years old. I don’t remember hardly any of this. Or anything else difficult that was going on behind the scenes. Christmas was always such a fun time for me as a kid that I had no clue that the car was messed up or even that there were things in the world that were difficult and scary. I remember almost every Christmas from the age of five on. You know what I don’t remember, what I wasn’t aware of? I wasn’t aware of the fact that the US and the Soviet Union were on a hair trigger, with the very real possibility that at any moment the world would be plunged into nuclear winter. I was sheltered — in a good way, and all I remember are the things that kids ought to remember about Christmas.

But when we get older, it gets harder, right? We can’t avoid the tough things. We can’t escape from the things we fear. We know that things are out of our control.

This was the case for King Ahaz too. Ahaz and his people were facing the imminent threat of war. They were facing the imminent threat of invasion, destruction, death. Those are terrifying realities.

And King Ahaz was faced with a clear choice: Ahaz has to ask himself, who will I look to to save us? Who will I hope in? Will I trust God, who is greater than my fears? Or will I hope in myself?

What were they facing? Notice with me the frightening reality of impending war.

#1: The frightening reality of impending war

I hope you have your Bibles out and open or your Bible app on your phone. The southern kingdom of Israel, and particularly those in Jerusalem, are facing imminent war. Look with me at verse 1: “In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it.”

[SLIDE: BEHIND THE SCENES]

Behind the scenes in verse 1:

Israel divides into north & south in 931 BC

Northern kingdom = Israel (capital = Samaria)

Southern kingdom = Judah (capital = Jerusalem)

Syria: a northern neighbor (capital = Damascus)

It’s 732 BC. The one kingdom of Israel occupying the promised land has split in half. You remember your 8th grade Civil War history? North vs. south? That’s exactly how it is here. After King Solomon dies the northern kingdom becomes a breakaway region. And out of the 12 tribes of Israel, they have ten tribes. The southern kingdom had only two tribes. The southern kingdom is called Judah and its capital is Jerusalem. The northern kingdom is Israel and its capital is Samaria.

Except now, the northern and the southern kingdom are facing a common enemy: Assyria. Assyria is like Nazi Germany in about 1938-1939. Like Germany, Assyria is expanding its kingdom by invading neighboring nations and slaughtering them and destroying their land. That’s about to happen to Israel, the northern kingdom of Israel.

Syria was Israel’s neighbor to their north, like Canada is to the United States. But all three countries — Syria, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Israel — all three countries are tiny. Think of the size of the old Soviet bloc states like Hungary and Chechnya and Ukraine, compared to the size of the Russian Federation. They don’t stand a chance.

So Syria and Israel — the northern kingdom — they get together and they’re like, “Together we stand a better chance of surviving. Let’s band together and fight against Assyria.” But they wanted a larger alliance. They wanted the southern kingdom of Judah to help them too. But they refuse.

So knowing all this background, read the text with me again, verse 1:

[SLIDE: ISA 7:1]

Isaiah 7:1 ESV

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it.

These are fearful days for Jerusalem. And it’s not until we look down to verses 5-6 that we realize exactly what their intentions are. Look there with me: “Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, ‘Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it” (Isa 7:5-6 ESV). They want to cause chaos, they want to terrorize the city, they want to conquer them, and they want to install their own king in the place of Ahaz. And there is no such thing as a peaceful transfer of power in these days. If they do this, lots of people are going to die. That’s the fearful expectation of war.

How many of you in the room this morning were old enough in the 1960s to remember the Cuban Missile crisis?

There’s virtually no one left who remembers what it was like during world war 2. But you could imagine how hard it might have been to celebrate Christmas in 1941, just 18 days after Japan launched its attack on Pearl Harbor.

Most recently, we celebrated Christmas during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic during December 2020.

Our nation knows what it is to celebrate the seasons of light while darkness looms overhead.

That helps us understand the next part.

Notice with me, the fearful response of Ahaz and his people.

#2: The fearful response of Ahaz and his people

Notice their fearful response.

Notice first of all that the fearful response comes on the heels of bad news. Bibles out and open? Bible app on your phone? Read along with me. “When the house of David” — that’s King Ahaz and his family, named in terms of his ancestor King David — “when the house of David was told, ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’ the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isa 7:2).

How many of you have gotten a phone call that changed your life?

This is the equivalent of the phone call that changes your life, or the headline that changes your life. This would be like checking your news app after church and seeing that China and Iran and Russia had formed an alliance and missiles from all three countries were incoming to the United States. What do you do? Where do you go? Is there anywhere you can be safe? What does this mean for your friends and relatives far away?

These two countries, the northern kingdom of Israel and the country of Syria, both of these nations had already attacked the southern kingdom of Israel, in the past, on separate occasions. Now they come together with more power, more numbers, greater strength [Ortlund, p88]. This is the news that shatters their sense of calm.

And look how their fearful response is described: “the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people” — that would be the people of Jerusalem and the people of Judah — “the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” The International Standard Version says

[SLIDE: ISA 7:2]

Isaiah 7:2 ISV

When it was reported to the house of David, “Aram has joined forces with Ephraim!” the heart of the people of Ahaz trembled like forest trees in a windstorm.

How many of you vividly remember Hurricane Hugo? There’s a reason why you remember that because it almost never happens. You can look at weather maps that show the track of Hurricane Hugo pretty much coming right over Shelby and surrounding areas, and here’s the thing that made it so crazy: it was still barely a category one hurricane.

There were windows on the upper floors of high rises in Charlotte that were blown out. The airport evacuated the air traffic control tower at Charlotte airport once the wind began to gust past 90 mph. Trees were blown down everywhere. And this was nothing compared to down in SC. A roof was pulled off a hotel in Florence, SC where people from Charleston had come to seek shelter. The bulk of the pine trees in the Francis Marion National Forest down there were just razed to the ground.

Point is, strong winds cause trees to bend to the breaking point. That’s the picture here. The news of Syria and Israel coming to attack Jerusalem has destroyed their stability. They are undone. This is fear, intense dread, a sense of impending doom.

And it is into this fear and dread and sense of impending doom that God speaks to King Ahaz — and to us. First the Lord wants to calm Ahaz down. So in verse 4 we read: “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint”. We often find the words “do not fear” in the Bible — hundreds of times, in fact. But this is the only place as far as I know where God invites a person to be unafraid in basically four ways. I want you to notice the first and the last, because they both deal with the heart.

[SLIDE: DO NOT BE AFRAID]

Do not be afraid, verse 4

“Do not let your heart be faint”

“Be careful”

Notice with me the last reassurance: “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and” — here it is — “do not let your heart be faint.” Why is it the heart God is concerned about? God is concerned that we protect our hearts from anxiety because the heart is the center of who we are. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23 NIV).

The heart is your control center. If you’re anxious there, your words, your choices, your actions — all of that will be driven by your anxiety. And guess what happens when we are driven by anxiety? Nothing shuts God out of your life quiet like anxiety does. Not because He gets angry with you and walks away from you; but because we walk away from Him.

[SLIDE: COULD IT BE THAT OUR ANXIETY…]

Which is why the Lord then tells him — and us — to “be careful”. That’s the first encouragement he gives to Ahaz in verse 4. “Be careful”. I tell my kids to be careful when they ride their bikes on our driveway. They need to be careful not to ride out into our street. There’s danger there. Be careful implies the avoidance of danger.

Is anxiety dangerous? What do you think?

Could it be that for Ahaz there is something more dangerous than the threat from Assyria?

And so the question we ask of Ahaz, we need to ask of ourselves:

Is it possible that our anxiety poses more of a threat to us than the thing we are most anxious about?

[SLIDE: COULD IT BE THAT OUR ANXIETY…]

Could it be that our anxiety poses more of a threat to us than the thing we are most anxious about?

The question bears asking again and pausing to consider: Is it possible that our anxiety poses more of a threat to us than the thing we are most anxious about?

There’s no room for trust in a heart consumed with anxiety. And that means there’s no room for our hearts for God. That is a far dangerous reality than any fear or anxiety we could possibly have.

So it makes sense, then, why the Lord goes to such lengths to reassure Ahaz — and us.

Notice with me the Lord’s twofold reassurance for Ahaz

#2: The Lord’s twofold reassurance for Ahaz

The first reassurance from the Lord is an invitation to trust the Lord.

[SLIDE: REASSURANCE #1]

Reassurance #1: An invitation to trust the Lord

Look at verses 8-9: “it shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within 65 years Ephraim” — the nation of Israel, northern kingdom — “Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

What is God saying to Ahaz here? He wants Ahaz to understand that at the end of the day, the two countries he fears the most are headed up by mortals, flesh and blood.

That’s why the Lord’s invitation to Ahaz to trust Him begins like it does, verse 7: “Thus says the Lord God: it shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.” Isaiah is saying: “God is sovereign, Ahaz; these two kings threatening Jerusalem are not. All they can do, Ahaz, is make plans; they’re completely dependent on me to carry them out. And I am telling you that I will not let them carry it out.”

This is our most urgent need: to seek and possess the Lord’s perspective on the things we fear most.

Church, this is our most urgent need: to seek and possess the Lord’s perspective on the things we fear most. What was the Lord’s perspective on what Ahaz feared? That perspective was that though Syria and the northern kingdom appeared tough, in reality the two kings are merely “firebrands”, the word Isaiah uses; they’re sticks that have burned themselves out; they’re smoldering. Soon they’ll be gone. No matter how powerful, the plans of mere mortals are just that. The Lord determines the outcome.

There are some comforting passages in the book of Proverbs that are useful to use when we face a threat. Proverbs 16:33 and Proverbs 16:1. Write them down on a card and take it with you, or take a screenshot of your Bible app with the verses on the screen and make it your phone background for a month.

[SLIDE: PROV 16:33]

Proverbs 16:33 ESV

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

[SLIDE: PROV 16:1]

Proverbs 16:1 ESV

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

What these two texts teach is this: Enemies can threaten us with destruction and death, but they won’t be able to lift a finger against God’s people if God Himself so much as lifts a finger against them.

Which is why Ahaz finds himself at a crossroads: The Lord gives him a choice. It’s an invitation to trust. “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

No stability without faith (v. 9)

“Are you insecure? You’ll be un-secure”

“If you are not firm, you will not be confirmed”

“In doubt? You’ll be left out”

Do you all remember the Y2K catastrophe that wasn’t? They speculated that at midnight on January 1, 2000, planes would fall out of the sky, banks would crash, you wouldn’t be able to buy or sell. At my house, we had tons of canned food and bottles of water packed into our basement. We had lots of bottled water for a long time after that.

Or how about the doomsday preppers? You might have your own opinion on that and I have mine.

But here’s the thing: If you know that the worst case scenario could happen, is likely to happen, and if you have the resources to do so, get ready; prepare; stock up. It would be foolish not to if you have the resources to prepare and you know there’s a decent chance it will happen. The problem is when your preparation leads you to believe you are your own Savior.

Fear can actually be a good and helpful thing. If I don’t have a healthy fear of having a car accident, I wouldn’t wear a seat belt. Wearing a seat belt is a good and rational thing to do, even if the chances are slim that you’ll never be in a situation to need it. When does that fear become anxiety and worry? When I stop driving my car for fear of having an accident. When I stay home and refuse to go to work for fear of having an accident.

Fear becomes sinful precisely at the point where it becomes obsessive worry and anxiety. Fear separates us from God when it becomes worry and anxiety because that is when we begin to live like God isn’t really in control.

And that is the choice that Ahaz has. The Lord’s invitation to trust brings us to a crisis point: Will Ahaz trust that God knows what He’s doing, or will he in the end choose to rely on himself?

The Lord gives Ahaz one more opportunity. We’ve seen the invitation to trust the Lord. Now note with me, lastly, Ahaz’s reason to trust the Lord.

Reassurance #2: A reason to trust the Lord

I had an interesting experience the last time I was on an airplane. My pastor friend Micheal and I were headed down to Guatemala last September. We left Greensboro super early on a very rainy morning and landed in Atlanta about 8am.

When we took off from Greensboro, the guy sitting next to me admitted he has a terrible fear of flying. I was like, well, it’s a little late now too do anything about that. We laughed at it and that was that. But I could tell he was really tense and especially tense in the last few seconds before we touched down.

It was raining that morning, and when the plane made initial contact with the runway, we hit it hard. And the guy beside me, he seriously actually grabbed my arm when we touched down and held on to my arm. I didn’t know this guy, you know? The hard landing didn’t startle me but him grabbing my arm kind of did. He apologized for it and we shared an awkward laugh.

Later on I talked with one of my buddies who’s an airline pilot. He said the hard landing probably wasn’t an accident. It was most likely intentional. The harder you can put the plane down when there’s a lot of water on the runway, the better contact the wheels can make with the pavement and the less chance of hydroplaning. Turns out there was a reason not to fear the thing the guy beside me was so afraid of.

And what’s amazing is that the Lord gives Ahaz a reason to trust. It’s incredible. Look at what God is offering Ahaz in verses 10-11: “Again the Lord said to Ahaz: ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.’” The point here is the grace of God. He so wants to bring Ahaz to a place where Ahaz can rest his anxious heart that He basically says, “Okay, Ahaz, I am serious about being your ally. I am for you in this fearful situation. What do I need to do to convince you that I am your ally?” [Ortlund p90]

Churh, God is for us! He wants us to trust Him; He invites our trust. But He knows how hard trust is for fallen human beings living in a frightening and fallen world. So He accommodates our weakness and gives us reasons to trust. What grace is that, church!

And Ahaz refuses it; look with me at verse 12: “But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.’” You say, Pastor Dustin, I thought it was wrong to ask God for a sign. Well, not when God offers you a sign. When God offers you a sign, it’s an offer of grace, and then it’s wrong not to take it.

Tragically, Ahaz chose to trust in himself rather than God. That’s not just a choice between two viable alternatives. To choose to trust in myself is to reject God. That’s too bad, especially when you consider what God is really offering.

[SLIDE: ISAIAH 7:14]

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

If Ahaz won’t tell the Lord what he needs to trust him, God will give Him a 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 Immanuel.”

The Lord is saying, ‘Okay, I want there to be no doubt in your mind that I love you and that I am for you and with you, so I am going to come to you…I am going to become one of you…I am going to face the same struggles you face…I am going, in fact, to face your struggles with you....no, more than that, I’m going to face your struggles for you, on your behalf.”

[SLIDE: MATT 1:21-23]

Matthew 1:21–23 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

And 260 years later, this very specific prediction that Isaiah made was fulfilled to the letter. “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)” (Matt. 1:19-23 ESV).

Conclusion and call for response

Ahaz was being forced to ask: Do I trust God to save me even from Syria and Israel? And we are being invited this morning to ask: do I trust God to save me even from the thing I fear the most?

Pick your greatest fear. Do you trust God to save you from your greatest fear? What if He doesn’t save you from it but calls you to go through it. What then? Will we be able to trust him then?

You see, maybe that’s our problem. We know God may not actually deliver us from the threat. He may ask us to go through it. It may hurt terribly. We fear it will crush us.

Do we trust that, even then, God has good purposes for us if He does take us through it? And do we believe that He will ultimately save us from being crushed?

Church, God offers Himself to us this morning as our best and closest ally. The only condition is that we must treat God like He’s really God [Ortlund p89].

Everyone in the room this morning has something. There is something you fear. You may talk about it or you may not want anyone to know about it, but everyone has something — some problem, some challenge, some unresolved difficulty where it feels all but impossible to trust God, and you would much rather handle it yourself. That’s your something. God is inviting you to trust Him today even there.

For some of you, your something is that you haven’t trusted Christ as Lord and Savior. There can be no trusting God in the details of your life if you haven’t trusted Him for something as basic as your salvation.

Jesus became Immanuel, God became human without ceasing to be God. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel; mild he lays his glory by; born that man no more may die; born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Jesus has come as God with us, into the messiness of our sin and brokenness. And He invites us now to come to Him and bring all of the messiness with Him. We trust in Him, and He saves us and forgives us. If you haven’t made this decision to trust Jesus, don’t let another day pass before you do.

To whom will we look for hope? Who will deliver us? Who or what will stabilize me in the midst of my greatest fears ? Who or what will be expect to be our Savior? Will I trust God, who is greater than my fears? Or will I turn to others? Or will I hope in myself?

Ahaz chose himself. And he was destroyed. What will you and I choose?