Advent Series: Joy

Anticipating the Coming of the Christ brings us Joy!

Isaiah 7:1–14 ESV

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. 2 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. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “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,” 7 thus says the Lord God: “ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 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.’ ” 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 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.

Commentary:

3. Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return

6. If this happens, then Judah’s lineage will no long grace the throne as royalty. God promised David in 2 Samuel 7:16 that his offspring will always reign as king of Judah.

2 Samuel 7:16 ESV

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

13. God says “O House of David” to remind the king of His promise he made and to assure him that the Kingdom he started with David will stand.

14. Immanuel means God with us. This sign points to the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:23.

Matthew 1:23 ESV

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

We Experience Joy when we celebrate the Coming of Christ!

There are 3 Reasons we experience Joy when we Celebrate the Coming of Christ:

Reason # 1: The Christ will Defeat the Enemy ( Is 7:7) (Gen 3:15)(Col 2:15)

Isaiah 7:7 ESV

7 thus says the Lord God: “ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

The New King James Version Chapter 3

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

God already defeated the evil one and we can celebrate this victory

Colossians 2:15 ESV

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

I was bullied in everyday up until high school. There was this one kid that absolutely hate me. Everyday at the bus stop he tried to harm me and succeeded most times. I used to show up to the bus stop at the last minute in hopes that I would make it just in time to sit up front. I was overfilled with joy when I found out that my enemy was put in alternative school for bad behavior. Now that my enemy was removed I could dance my way to the bus stop with any fear. We can have Joy knowing that Christ removed our bully, the devil, from the ability to harm us anymore.

Reason # 2: The Christ will fulfill God’s Promise (Is 7:14)(Is 9:7)

Isaiah 9:7 ESV

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Reason # 3: The Christ will Restore God’s Kingdom (Isaiah 11:10-12)

Isaiah 11:8–12 ESV

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

For those of us who have been in the field or deployed, we know the feeling of being separated from our family for extended time, in a foreign land that is not home. Everyday, you think about your family, and getting back to the comfort of your normal living. As soon as you begin on your way back to normal life, you are overjoyed. Everyday, Israel would await the day that they would return to their home land, for things to come back to normal. When the messiah comes back, he will restore their relationship with God. There will be a great moment in history when the Messiah reigns, that His kingdom will reflect the garden of Eden. We will be overjoyed not worried about the issues of this life.