God's Promises... (8)

Are we willing to take God at his word?

As we continue our with our second week of Advent, we are going to switch it up a bit and look at love. God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to be born in a stable in Bethlehem. A prophecy was given that this child would save his people from their sins.

This morning, I’d like to read Isaiah 7:10-16

Isaiah 7:10–16 NLT

Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

This morning, I’d like to give a little background. King Ahaz was a grandson to King Uzziah. It was King Uzziah that died in Isaiah 6, when Isaiah saw the vision of the Lord. He was high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Threats of Judah was being invaded were coming from KIng Pekah, from the northern kingdom of Israel, and King Rezin from Syria. Their plan was to conquer Judah, put in their own king and split the proceeds.

Isaiah told King Ahaz to ask God for a sign that God was going to protect him, and Ahaz refused. He didn’t want to test God.

Isaiah said this,”Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

Are we willing to take God at His word?

In this case, Isaiah was exhorting King Ahaz to take God at His word and see if God would prove himself faithful.

Ahaz had

A stubborn streak

He tried to sound pious, and yet He was stubborn. There are times that somebody wants to show us a better way, and because we didn’t think of it, we aren’t willing to listen.

When God told Moses to send the Twelve spies into the land of Canaan, or the land of promise, only two came back with good reports. Ten came back with reports that it couldn’t be done.

The people had seen the ten plagues in Egypt. They had seen how God had delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. He had fed a couple of million people in the desert and yet, they couldn’t believe that He could give them the land that He had promised.

After Moses had told them that they weren’t ever going to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief, they wanted to go in, so some of them started towards the land of Canaan.

Not following instructions

Finally, after forty years when Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land, they came to Jericho. They followed God’s instruction and conquered the city. Next up was Ai, and Israel was feeling quite confident that they could take care of a small place like Ai, only to find out that they were easily defeated.

Somebody had disobeyed God. Joshua was devastated at the loss. God had brought them into the land of Canaan only to be set up and defeated by their enemies.

When Joshua humbled himself and prayed, God showed him that somebody had directly disobeyed God’s orders. The orders were that they wouldn’t take anything from Jericho, and yet Achan son of Zimri had stolen a Babylonian robe, as well as silver coins, and a gold bar weighing more than a pound.

It cost Achan and his family their lives. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal. It was only a robe, some silver coins, and a gold bar. In Achan’ case, God was showing the people of Israel, that they had to do things his way.

For those of you who have worked at

a store

This is a simple instruction, but stocking shelves seems to be an easy thing to do. I’m not sure about you, but when I worked at a store, the rule was to be sure to check the expiry date. the oldest product needed to be at the front, as well as make sure to check the shelves often to make sure that the shelves aren’t bare.

It would have been so easy to just fill the front and not worry about anything else. Why dust, it’s not that bad.

When I was working at the feed mill, it was very important to keep that oldest product to the front. sometimes it was a big job.

Steam Rolled Corn had a tendency to mold if it was left too long. It was supposed to be dried down to a certain moisture, but for whatever reason, it could mold. We couldn’t sell mouldy feed to the customer.

Maybe the question could run through one’s head,

“Who will know the difference?”

Maybe nobody may ever know the difference except you and the Lord, but

Colossians 3:23 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

In our story today, Isaiah is asking King Ahaz to ask God for as big of proof as he needs that God will protect him, and he refuses.

Today I want to encourage you to

Ask God to work in your situation

Ahaz had two kings that were against him, and God promised to help him, but he refused to ask.

Matthew 7:7–8 NLT

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

What do you need God to do in your life? Is there anything that you have been trying to do on your own, you don’t think that you need God’s help.

Maybe you think that you are showing that you are weak if you ask God for help.

James 4:2 says that we don’t have because we don’t ask God. It takes humility to ask for help. It’s not a sign of strength to refuse to ask for help when we need it. It’s a sign of being stubborn.

The Round Baler

One time I was working on my 567 JD Baler. There was a chain that was over tight on one side and too loose on the other. I thought that I could hold the sprocket with the tensioner with one hand while slowly moving the chain around to loosen it with the other.

I don’t recommend that you try this at home. Somehow, my index finger got caught between the chain and the sprocket. My one hand was dealing with the tensioner and the other one was caught. Not a good idea. I could have stood there and working at the exercise in futility, trying to get out alone, but my Dad was within earshot. Not whisper shot but earshot. “Help!!” He came and freed my one hand up so that I was able to get the other one free.

Sometimes, we aren’t in a place where we can help ourselves, and we need God to help. And

He’s there when we call!

There’s a place in Scripture where God calls us to test Him. It’s in our tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:10 NLT

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

You’ve maybe heard the statement that you can’t out give God.

Philippians 4:19 NLT

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

What’s the tithe?

Our tithe is 10% of what we make. Offerings are anything over and above. This might be what we give when we give to the Lord’s prayer ministry. It could be what we give when we give to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. It could be the benevolence that we give to those who are in needs.

My aim isn’t to pressure or bring guilt on anybody. I only know what Donna and I give to the Lord. As your pastor, it’s not my concern to know what you give.

God calls us to give with cheerful hearts.

2 Corinthians 9:7–8 NLT

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

God’s word tells us to give, and that’s enough for me. I believe that the Holy Spirit will lead each of us to give as we open our hearts to His voice. When we give out of obligation or compulsion, it c an cause us to become resentful or embittered.

Let’s look at

The sign

God gave to Ahaz.

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

It’s a little uncertain, but some think that this sign was two-fold. This may have spoke to a child whose mother was a virgin at the time that Isaiah spoke this word of prophecy. Within sixty-five years Israel was destroyed. Assyria had conquered Israel in 722 BC, and in 665 BC, the Assyrians had moved the northern kingdom of Israel out and had replaced many of the people with those from foreign nations. (BKC)

In ancient times, armies would take nations into exile and move them to another land which they had conquered, and then they would fill their country with people from another country. It’s like taking a plant out by the roots and transplanting it somewhere else.

If this prophecy spoke of someone else, we don’t know who it was, but we do know that Matthew spoke of Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25 NLT

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

There are two things that I want us to take from this passage this morning.

1. He will save His people from their sins

It doesn’t matter how good we are, we can’t wash away our sins.

A leopard could try everything to get rid of its spots, and they would still be there.

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus...

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

1 John 3:16 NLT

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

2. His name shall be called Immanuel.

which means

God with us

No matter how we feel, we are not alone. God has promised that He will never leave us. He will never abandon us. Even when we feel all alone, He is there.

I like how Psalm 139 puts it,

Psalm 139:1–6 NIV

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Even as hard as it is to understand, God has His hand on us. He has a hedge or wall of protection around us.

His love for us is from everlasting to everlasting. He gave Himself for us, and because of His great love, He calls us to love others.

Will you ask God who you can show love to this Christmas season? Let’s not limit it to just this Christmas, but let’s look for opportunities to show His great love to all we meet.

If you ever get discouraged, remember this, “You are not alone.” God loves you and there are so many people that love you too.

Let’s pray!