Presence
Notes
Transcript
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.’ ”
Political climate in Judah is tense. Go into detail on what Ahaz was facing from Syria and Ephraim (the Israelites) Ahaz considered aligning itself with Assyria. Bad idea.
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?
Ahaz is trying the patience of God! He quotes scripture as a way to not follow God. This is not Ahaz being a good a faithful follower.
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.
15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.
17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary i. The Moment of Decision (7:1–17)
but three things are affirmed: (1) the child will grow up in poverty (15), for curds and honey, as verse 22 shows, are the diet of those left in a devastated land; (2) the northern threat from Aram and Israel will be ended (16)—and indeed Damascus fell to Assyria three years and Samaria thirteen years later; and (3) huge disaster would fall on the house of David (17). The separation of Ephraim (
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
God CARES about a relationship with us
God got involved and stepped into the middle of the human story (Matthew 1:18-23).
Observation: Initially, Joseph did not want to accept Mary as his wife, likely assuming relational unfaithfulness. However, a messenger reveals that God formed this baby, who will be the Savior to the world.
Eventually, Joseph had to make a choice on whether or not to accept this message to be true. To continue his betrothed relationship, even despite the ridicule from his Jewish community. Ahaz had the same opportunity.
Why is it so difficult to accept the fact that God takes the initiative to pursue us and restore our relationship with him?
Why is it so hard to believe that God cares about little ‘ol me?
God initiated relationship by coming to us. This is a constant theme of the Bible. As soon as humankind sinned, God began the process of restoring relationship. Illustrated in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:9) and the call of Abram (Genesis 12:1-3), God revealed that he had a plan to bless all people through a redemptive act. That plan unfolds throughout Scripture and culminates in the incarnation of Jesus. The incarnation shows God cares so much about a relationship with us that he pursued us and took the initiative to reengage and rescue us.
We are NEVER alone
Continued text: Matthew 1:18-23
Observation: Imagine everything that Joseph was processing emotionally.
Going from a high point in life to a confusing low point in life. Ever been there?
Being outcasted by his fellow Jewish community (even more so because he was a good Jewish man following the Law).
Feelings of being lonely for an extended period.
Yet, it was within the context of loneliness that God makes his holy presence available to everyone.
Imagine the moment when Joseph first held baby Jesus.
Google Image: Photo of “Joseph and Jesus painting.” It’s more common to see photos of Mary and Jesus, but what does this photo communicate about Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph?
God is NEAR
When you think of God, do you think of a far-off deity? Or, do you think of God as an active presence deeply involved in your life?
What difference would it make if you believed God was near? With you?
St. Patrick’s Christ With Me prayer:
“Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.”
― Saint Patrick
700 years before Jesus came onto the scene, the prophet Isaiah mentioned very precise details about the incarnation (Isaiah 7:5-17), which Matthew echoes (Matthew 1:22-23). Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, sent with the purpose of rescuing us.
The incarnation is wonderfully unique to Christianity. Our God came to us. The Creator became part of the creation. God is an up-close, intimate Savior and Lord. This is amazing! Amazement is an appropriate response to the incarnation. All who heard the shepherd’s report of the angelic message were amazed (Luke 2:10-20).
Application and Response:
The Incarnation demands a response from us. One of the saddest moments in the account of the birth of Jesus is when there is no room at the inn for Mary, Joseph and the soon-to-be-born Christ child. Too many people today still have no room for Jesus or if we do have room for him it is very small and placed out of the way where it can’t interfere with our life. Today you have an opportunity to make room for Jesus. Set aside time to ponder the implications of the incarnation.
1. Spend time praising God for sending his Son.
2. Consider various parts of your life and acknowledge that God desires to be
present and involved in them. In those areas of your life where you may be
excluding God, repent and ask for his involvement.
Conclusion:
This morning, we just touched upon the implications of the incarnation. Are you amazed that the Creator of all things put on flesh and got intimately involved with his creation?
Jesus - Immanuel - “God with us” demonstrates how God is involved. Jesus has come as God incarnate, God in flesh. Jesus has come to redeem those who put their faith in him. Never buy into the lie that God is distant and uncaring. God offers relationship with himself through the incarnate Jesus Christ. What an offer!
Invitation: This incredible free offer of salvation and hope is available to you today.
