Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Introduction

This is a short but impactful hymn

look quickly at the lines

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

short but beautiful song that expresses what should be the desires of our hearts

a longing for the one who will set people free

from fears of the world

from our sins

It led my mind to the prophet Isaiah, who gave the very familiar prophecy that the virgin shall give brith

Isaiah 7:10–17 (CSB)

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz:

11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

13 Isaiah said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?

14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.

15 By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating curds and honey.

16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.

17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s house such a time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah: He will bring the king of Assyria.”

PRAY!

It is the context that we find this passage in that the song leads me to

2 Kings 16:1–5 (CSB)

1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah.

2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God like his ancestor David

3 but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his son in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.

4 He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

5 Then Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah came to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but were not able to conquer him.

it is during this time that the king of Aram and the King of Israel are coming against Judah

explain how Judah and Israel have split into tow kingdoms

Israel the northern portion of Israel is called Israel or Ephraim

Judah, the southern portion, including Jerusalem was ruled by this King Ahaz that Isaiah is speaking to

Ahaz is an evil king, and the Lord is giving him a personal opportunity to repent and follow, but it comes at this time of fear of these two northern kingdoms that have come to wage war on him

God has promised that these two “smoldering sticks” are not going to last

so we have a man, who has lived in a sinful state denying the very God who is giving him opportunity now, fearful that he is going to lose the kingdom that he is over

In the face of fear and sin, we look to the one born of a virgin who paid the price for our sins and await his glorious return… come Lord Jesus!

A Lack of Faith

I want to be a man of Faith

Not the American meaning

I believe in God and try hard not to say bad words

I want to be the kind of man that even in the hardest of times, I completely trust that God has everything under control

If I am honest there are times that I have had to pray, “I believe, help with my unbelief.”

I am guessing we have all been in that position we long to serve the Lord, believe in the promises that he has made

but then we have this part of us that believes we have to take care of ourselves

because of course, God will help those who help themselves

please note the sarcasm in that statement

Isaiah 7:10–13 (CSB)

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz:

11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

13 Isaiah said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?

It is hard for me to imagine being in this scenario

I have never been king

although I did have my niece convinced that my name Uncle Doug is King

I cannot imagine the pressure or fear, knowing that they could come in and kill me and my family

let alone take over all the people and nation that I am over

knowing that I am out manned, out gunned (I know they did not really have guns, but you get the picture)

but just in my life I think I get the, “here is another opportunity for you to trust God in a place where you are fearful”

what blows me away is that this is not a godly man that he should be getting this opportunity

he sacrificed his own child

but here is God giving this wicked leader a chance to trust him

The Lord offers Ahaz a sign that will confirm his promise

the promise that these two kingdoms they are afraid of will not over take them

I have made a promise and ask for a sign that I will give you so that you will trust me

God is offering this king a sign that the Lord is God and in control

a chance to put his trust and faith in him rather than his plans

or to believe that the Lord is bigger than the fear he sees before him

this is different from us looking for signs, demanding signs before we live in obedience

that is typically a lack of faith

we try to make deals with God, do this so that I will know this is really what you want me to do

Ahaz wants to appear very religious

I will not test the Lord…

he most likely had already began to come to the Assyrians with silver and gold from the Lord’s temple to protect them

He does not believe that God is going to do anything

We do this, “Lord fix this situation that I have found myself in…”

meanwhile, we have our plan in place, and really want we want is for God to simply bless the plans we have

I believe this is really all that Ahaz would want from God

all this shows is a simple lack of faith in a God

that he loves us,

wants the best for us,

that he is in control

A Sign for All Times

The Lord is not offering a promise if Ahaz believes

this is not a case of if Ahaz has faith, or enough faith, God will act

God has plainly stated that this will not happen and you can ask for a sign as deep as sheol or high as heaven

something that God will do or give so that you will believe

Isaiah 7:14–16 (CSB)

14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.

15 By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good, he will be eating curds and honey.

16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.

Isaiah’s tone changes

The offer of a sign was to Ahaz personally, but God is going to give a sign to all people

in verse 13 Isaiah addresses the entire house of David

you = plural

this is now something that God is going to do

I do not imagine that this would have been a sign that anyone could imagine

in fact, many have tried to deny the virgin birth because it is something that is unimaginable even now

The Prophecy is two fold

The Virgin will give birth and the two kingdoms you fear will be defeated before this boy know bad from good

We see in verse 3 that God told Isaiah to take his son

by time this boy knows right from wrong the two kingdoms he is afraid of will be defeated

The virgin birth of Immanuel, Jesus will be evidence that this is from God

credited to Isaiah in Matthew 1:22–23

“22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.””

The virgin birth is important

some commentaries move you to think that maybe it doesn’t mean what we would think of when we hear virgin birth

the word translated virgin = young woman of marrying age that has not be married

born of a virgin, Jesus is not born into sin the way that we are

not born into sin, not sinning in his life, he is the perfect sacrifice for our sin

The lesser prophecy gives credence to the greater prophecies of Isaiah

we can believe in the messiah that was born of a virgin

we can put our faith in the suffering servant of chapter 53

Would Could See this Coming - Judgment is Coming

A harsh message for Christmas

we want Christmas to be about the baby Jesus, the little drummer boy, the wise men and the angels singing peace on earth

Isaiah 7:17 CSB

17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s house such a time as has never been since Ephraim separated from Judah: He will bring the king of Assyria.”

Isaiah turns his focus back to Ahaz

Something is coming that God is bringing about

it will be against your kingdom

people that you are trusting in will be the very people that God uses to destroy you

this goes against the deal, or treaty that Ahaz has been trying to make, or possibly already made with the Assyrians for protection

Ahaz you are fearing the wrong thing!

you do not need to fear what you see in this world, what looks dangerous right in front of you

fear the Lord

We celebrate advent, the coming of Jesus, and trust in our own plans all the time

our plans, our works, our worship

none of these things will save you

But something is coming that we cannot imagine

the messiah is retuning

we sing for him to come and set us free, our hymn from today, cries for the long expected Jesus to come and set us free

while we trust in ourselves and our works

if that is truly us we face the judgment that is coming with the return of Christ

Discussion Questions

What is the main theme of the hymn mentioned in the sermon?

According to the sermon, how does the hymn express a longing for Jesus?

How does the sermon relate King Ahaz's fear to the message of the hymn?

What does the scripture from Isaiah reveal about God's promise to King Ahaz?

In what ways did King Ahaz demonstrate a lack of faith during the threats against Judah?