Christmas Sermon
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Merry Christmas!
Christmas morning services are always a little weird. Some of us were together yesterday. And so, we have seen each other two days in a row.
The service is squished between different Christmas breakfast and Christmas lunch. If anyone hasn’t opened presents, they are squirming in their seat, hoping that the sermon doesn’t go too long.
Too bad. I’ve decided to preach until Jesus comes.
The world waited over 6000 years for Jesus to come the first time. But they weren’t quite sure what to look for. There were so many prophecies about him, and some of them weren’t quite understood as pointing to him.
Isaiah chapter seven is one of them.
Please turn there with me.
When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’ ”
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”
First off, when God tells you to ask for a sign, make sure to do that.
Second, please pray with me as we start.
This passage is a dark time in Israel’s history. The northern kingdom has completely forsaken God. So, much so, that they have allied themselves with a gentile nation to take over the southern kingdom, which is supposedly a godly nation. More or less.
The southern kingdom is known as Judah. They have the temple and the priesthood, and they make a show of following God. The previous two kings, Uzziah and Jotham, tried to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but they did not remove the shrines throughout the kingdom. People were trying to worship God in the pagan ways of the nations around.
Ahaz takes the throne in Israel. And he is not good.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.
He leads Israel in turning against God. Because of his leadership and the spiritual condition of the rest of Judah, Israel and Aram try to take it over.
Ahaz is scared. Judah is scared. God says: “Don’t be scared. I’ve got it covered. Since you don’t believe me ask for a sign.”
Ahaz doesn’t because he doesn’t care about God. So God tells him that a child will be born whose name is God with Us. Israel and Aram are going to be laid waste, but a worse time is coming because Judah will refuse to trust in the God who has offered to be with them.
Ahaz doesn’t trust God. He turns to Assyria for help. Assyria will annihilate the northern kingdom of Israel, and will pave the way for Babylon to come and overthrow Judah.
God says: I will be the God who is with you. But, Ahaz says: nah.
Fast forward eight hundred years. An angel appears to Mary and later Joseph and tells them that Mary will have a son, who will be called Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew records for us:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Such a small phrase. But, so powerful!
Let’s look at that phrase.
1. God
1. God
Let’s look at God. To understand the significance of God with us, we must understand who God is.
If we look at Isaiah 7, something might stand out.
Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
Your translations might do what my translation does. “Lord” is in all caps.
When a translation does this, it is indicating that the original language has indicated the actual name of God: Yahweh. Out of respect, most translations, in addition to the original Hebrew, do not write that name, because it is so holy.
Yahweh is the covenant name of God. It is referred to when God is calling to Moses from the burning bush.
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
One’s name at this time described who someone was. When I was a kid, I should have been named: he who yells and talks a lot.
My parents instead named me Peter Timothy, because they wanted me to aspire to a more sanctified way of living.
By stating this simple phrase, “I am who I am” God is describing who he is.
Is the Covenant God who existed before all things. That’s the verb form used in this phrase. He is the God who always is. He is the Covenant God who created all things. The Hebrew could also be translated: I cause to be what I cause to be.
Not only is he the Covenant God who existed before all things and created all things. But he is the covenant God who chose to be with his creation in a devoted intimate way. In a few verses, he explains He watches them, he hears them, he accomplishes his promises, he accompanies them to the promised land.
The Covenant God.
2. Us
2. Us
Well, After learning about God, we have to discuss us.
Let’s look at Ahaz:
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Ahaz looks at God and says: Thanks for the help, but I got this. I’m going to help you out, because truthfully I don’t trust you.
So, Ahaz goes out from the presence of God and makes a deal with the Assyrians.
That’s what we as humans do. God says: I am everything you need. I will provide for you. I will protect you. I will prove myself to you.
Adam and Eve in the Garden. Looking back and forth between God and the fruit. God and the fruit. God and the fruit.
Sorry God, we have to provide for ourselves.
Flip through all the pages of the Bible, and we will see story after story of humans in a tough spot. And when faced with a decision to trust God or to provide for themselves, consistently, they choose themselves.
We could look at our own lives.
We go through a hard time, and what is our normal first response? Is it to fall on our face before the Covenant God who existed before all things, who created all things, and who wants to be with us in a devoted intimate way?
No, we turn to the Assyrians in our lives. We try to figure out how to do it ourselves. And we make a mess of it. Just like Ahaz.
This isn’t only true of going through a hard time. No. When we are living through a hard time, we are only responding how we have trained ourselves to respond.
Consistently, we as humans, even those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, give God the leftovers in our lives.
“Oh yeah, I know I should go to church. Oh yeah, I know I should pray and read my Bible every day. Oh year, I know that I need to spend time with God, but there is so many other stuff to do. God will understand if I don’t go to church today. God will understand if I skip a day of devotions.”
Yeah, he will. We aren’t legalists. But, in that moment, we are being Ahaz.
“Thanks, God, I got this. I don’t need you. I have more important things to do.”
As Jesus said rather pointedly:
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Where is our priority? Unfortunately, too often, it is not God. And so, when hard times come, we turn to the Assyrians instead of the Covenant God who existed before all things, who created all things, and who wants to be with us in a devoted intimate way?
This is tied to salvation too. Instead of turning to God as the only one who can save us, we try to do it ourselves. We work at it. We recite prayers. We attend church. We do, do, do. But unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything to save us.
Only God can.
We’ve looked at God. We’ve looked at us.
3. With
3. With
Now let’s look at a preposition.
Such a small word. But so powerful.
God with us.
2000 years ago, Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary. Mary was just a human who decided that she could trust God.
And, so, in a stable, alone, Jesus was born. God with us.
He grew up, experiencing the hard life that we have experienced. Being tempted with the temptations that we have.
He knew death. He knew heartache.
Then, he died. The most miserable death imaginable.
Why? So he could be with us.
He died to have a relationship with us.
The Covenant God who existed before all things, who created all things, and wants to be with us in a devoted intimate way.
When we turn to him in faith, declaring that we cannot save ourselves, but we need him, he saves us and invites us into a personal relationship that lasts for all eternity.
The same God who rescued Israel out of slavery declares that he will be with us as we struggle with bondage of addictions.
The same God who wept at Lazarus’ tomb declares that he will be with us through mourning.
The same God who was with Joseph alone in a pit and in an Egyptian prison, declares that he will never leave us or forsake us.
The same God who gave Solomon wisdom, David endurance, Paul boldness, Peter assurance, and John faithfulness, declares, holding out his hand, that he will be with us. Will we reach out and grab that hand, holding on tight, because we need him and only him.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Praise God that he is will us. Is he with you?
Today, as we celebrate his birth, if you have never turned to Jesus in faith, entering that personal relationship with the God that wants to be with you, do it today. May his birthday, be your spiritual birthday.