A Sign For The Times Isa.7
A “SIGN” FOR THE TIMES
ISA. 7:10-17
INTRO: PRESICTIONS ARE MADE ALL THE TIME—ONE OF THE MORE RECENT ONES HAS BEEN MADE INTO A MOVIE BASED ON THE MAYAN CALENDAR—IT SAYS WORLD WILL END IN 2012—NOSTRADAMUS PREDICTED IN 1792 VENICE,ITALY BE WORLD POWER & CATHOLIC CHURCH CEASE TO EXIST BECAUSE OF PERSECUTION IN N. AFRICA & IN 1607 HE SAID ALL ASTROLOGERS COME UNDER PERSECUTION—THESE WERE ALL WRONG. JEANNE DIXON MADE 100,000 PREDICTIONS & ALL WRONG EXCEPT DEATH OF J.F.K. LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE MADE & KEEP MAKING PREDICTIONS ---ON MT. IN DMZ BETWEEN N. & S. KOREA IS SMALL CHAPEL—THE BACK OF CONGR. FACES S. KOREA AND FRONT HAS LARGE GLASS WINDOWS THAT LOOK TO N.KOREA==THE PEOPLE WORSHIP HEARING WORD OF GOD WITH THREAT OF WAR AROUND THEM. IN THIS PASSAGE IN ISA.7 THE ONLY THING BETWEEN JUDAH & ITS ENEMIES WAS WORD OF GOD. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THREATS FACING US TODAY (INTERNAL & EXTERNAL) BUT WE HAVE GOD & HIS WORD. THE QUESTION IS—WILL WE TRUST HIM?
I. TRUST GOD IN TROUBLED TIMES (AND ALL THE TIME!)
A. SIGNS & SYMBOLS IN NAMES (ISA.8:18)—ISA. & HIS SONS WERE SIGNS TO ISRAEL ---“SHEAR-JOSHUB” MEANS A REMNANT WILL RETURN---ISA. & THIS SON MET WITH AHAZ. GOD WOULD REVEAL THAT HE WOULD NOT COMPLETELY DESTROY ISRAEL—A REMNANT WOULD BE LEFT. THE QUESTION WAS WOULD AHAZ & LEADERS RESPOND IN FAITH? LATER IN ISRAEL HISTORY (AT PLACE WHERE ISA. & AHAZ MET) HEZEKIAH WOULD FACE A TEST OF FAITH FROM ASSYRIAN GENERAL (ISA.36)---- AHAZ WAS CHECKING THE AQUADUCT (WATER SUPPLY)—VERY CRITICAL FOR CITY UNDER SEIGE—BUT FAITH IN GOD WAS MORE CRITICAL
B. DON’T FEAT THE WORLD POWERS---ISA. TOLD THE KING, “BE CAREFUL, STAY CALM, DON’T BE AFRAID!” BUT AHAZ WAS AFRAID BECAUSE HE HAD NO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE THAT FEAR A LOT OF THINGS ESPECIALLY DEATH—(TODAY WE FACE THREATS FROM IRAN, N.KOREA, AFGHANISTAN, VENEZUALA—ARE WE AS CHURCH & NATION PREPARED TO TRUST GOD. AT DEATH THERE IS CLEAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WITH FAITH & THOSE WITHOUT---ISA. ASSURED AHAZ “DON’T LOSE HEART”—THE 2 KINGS YOU FEAR ARE STUBS OF FIREWOOD—LIKE A BURNED OUT CAMPFIRE—THEY CANT HURT YOU ANYMORE—ONE YR LATER KING OF ISRAEL WAS ASSASINATED (2 KI.15:30)—NEXT YR KING OF ARAM WAS KILLED BY ASSYRIAN ARMY.
1. OUR ENEMIES ARE LIKE BURNED OUT STUBS—COMPARED TO GODS POWER THESE 2 KINGS THOUGHT THEY COULD PUT THEIR OWN KING IN POWER BUT THAT WAS NOT GODS PLAN---OF COURSE WE KNOW SATAN IN WORKING BEHIND SCENES AS WELL (SPIRITUAL INTERACTING WITH MATERIAL)—SATAN WAS DOING ALL HE COULD HERE TO DESTROY LINE OF DAVID—KEEP MESSIAH FROM BEING BORN. BUT THOSE KINGS WOULD BE DEAD SOON & THE PLAN WOULD FAIL. (IN 60’S WE FACED THREAT OF COMMUNISM---NUCLEAR WAR—THEN Y2K---NOW TERRORIST THREATS
2. WE CHOOSE WHERE TO PUT OUR TRUST—NOW NOTICE V.9—FOR AHAZ ITS DECISION TIME. THIS WAS HIS CHANCE TO STOP IDOLATRY, POLITICAL GAMES, STOP SACRIFICING CHILDREN IN FIRE. AHAZ PUT YOUR FAITH IN GOD—WILL YOU TRUST ME OR NOT?
II. FOLLOW GODS SIGNS TO VICTORY
A. IS GOD REALLY WITH US?---LIKE ISRAEL WE LIVE IN TIMES OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM ---911 AND MORE RECENTLY THE SHOOTING AT FT. HOOD. WE MAY WONDER IF ITS SAFE ANYWHERE—IS THERE A BOMB ON PLANE OR SOME OTHER PUBLIC PLACE? MANY PEOPLE IN WORLD FACE THAT THREAT EVERY DAY. BUT THERE IS THAT PROMISE “EMMANUEL” (GOD WITH US) (EX: BRITISH SOLDIERS SENT MESSAGE “AND IF NOT” ) MORE PEOPLE KNEW BIBLE THEN SO MESSAGE WAS UNDERSTOOD—GOD IS ABLE TO SAVE US BUT IF NOT WE WILL BE FAITHFUL ANYWAY! --IN DAYS THAT FOLLOWED A RAG-TAG GROUP OF BOATS RESCUED 338,000 ALLIED TROOPS) WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE CONSTANT CHALLENGES IN LIFE—AGING, ALZHIMERS, CANCER, LOST JOBS, DIVORCE, DEATH—YET WE CAN KNOW—IMMANUEL—GOD WITH US! GOD GAVE AHAZ AN OPEN-ENDED OFFER—ASK WHATEVER SIGN YOU WANT TO PROVE THAT I AM TRUSTWORTHY. THIS IS AMAZING GOD WAS WILLING TO GIVE GRACE TO THIS WICKED KING (2 CHRON.28:1-4) (EX: GOD SAID ASK ANYTHING—COW JUMP OVER MOON; RAIN CATS/DOGS; CUBS WIN WORLD SERIES; CHIEFS WIN SUPER BOWL OR BILLION DOLLARS) AHAZ WOULD NOT ASK! INCREDIBLE!
B. IF I TRUST GOD WILL MY LIFE HAVE TO CHANGE? AHAZ WOULD NOT PUT GOD TO THE TEST—MISUSES DEUT. PASSAGE—THINKING THIS BE SPIRITUAL TO REFUSE—BUT YOU DON’T REFUSE SOMETHING GOD GRACIOUSLY OFFERS---WHAT AHAZ REALLY MEANT WAS—I’M NOT GOING TO TRUST YOU GOD—I’VE ALREADY MADE MY PLANS (2 CHRON.28:17)—HE WAS ALREADY LOOKING TO KING OF ASSYRIA FOR HELP—IF AGREED TO THIS “SIGN” HE MIGHT HAVE TO STOP HIS IDOLATRY/CHILD SACRIFICE---HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE A GODLY KING---MANY ARE LIKE AHAZ TODAY---“IF I PUT MY FAITH IN GOD I WILL HAVE TO CHANGE—I MIGHT MISS OUT ON WORLD’S PLEASURES—MIGHT STOP SOME SIN OR HABIT—MIND/HEART GETS CALLOUSED OVER—BLINDED BY SATAN’S SCHEMES & LIES—HOLY SPIRIT CANT GET THROUGH---THIS TAKES MUCH PRAYER!
C. THE MEANING OF THE SIGN
1. TO AHAZ: AHAZ REFUSED BUT HE GOT A SIGN ANYWAY—HEB. WORD “ALMAH” MEANS UNMARRIED YOUNG WOMAN—ALSO CAN BE “VIRGIN”—CONTEXT HELPS CLARIFY MEANING. IT MAY BE THE IMMEDIATE MEANING IS TO A YOUNG WOMAN IN AHAZ’ HAREM WHO WOULD HAVE SON (“BEHOLD AN ALMA IS PREGNANT & WILL BEAR A SON AND CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL”)—IT MAY BE AHAZ WAS ONLY ONE WHO WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS—EVEN THOUGH AHAZ TRUSTED IN WORLDLY POWERS—GOD IS STILL WITH US! THEN BEFORE CHILD OLD ENOUGH TO EAT SOLID FOOD OR KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG (AHAZ HAD NOT REACHED THAT AGE!) ASSYRIA WOULD DESTROY SYRIA & ISRAEL—AND THEY DID IN 733,732 B.C.—ONLY A YR OR TWO AFTER THE PROPHECY GOD HAD SITUATION IN HAND AND SO HE REBUKED THE KING’S LACK OF FAITH.
2. TO US: (MAT.1:22,23) THE PROPHECY WAS ALSO RELATED TO HOUSE OF DAVID—YOU IS IN PLURAL IN V.14—THE MESSIAH WOULD BE BORN OF HOUSE OF DAVID TO A VIRGIN—THIS WOULD BE SPIRITUAL SALVATION NOT PHYSICAL---BUT MOST OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS DIDN’T GET THIS. YET AS GOD SAID IN FULLNESS OF TIME (AS ISAAC CAME TO ABRAM & SARAH) JESUS CAME OVER 700 YRS LATER—AND MATT REFERRED TO THIS SCRIPTURE. GOD DID JUST AS HE PLANNED & PROMISED