Remember Immanuel

I don’t know about you all, but whenever I look at the news or social media, I always have to guard my heart. I mean, there’s so much “stuff” that goes on in the world. We have wars, natural disasters, crime, worthless politicians, the list goes on and on.

And if I let myself, it’s so easy to get sucked into the muck of it all, leaving me angry, fearful, worried, or stressed.

But that’s not the only thing I need to guard my heart against. Sometimes, there are things that happen in my own life that stress me out.

Back in June or July, my daughter Yumi got sick. She missed about a week of school because her fever refused to go down for some reason. That was bad enough, but that happened during exam week, so she missed four of the five days of her mid-terms. And in Japan, there are no makeup exams. And so she has to try to make up for those missed tests by doing well in the rest of her exams this year.

But then recently, she got sick again. She tested negative for the flu or Covid, but I’m pretty sure she had the flu, because her fever went sky high. And even after it went down, for another week and a half, it again refused to go back to normal, so she missed another two weeks of school.

All of that was kind of stressful. I know my wife was stressed just having to call the school every morning. And when my wife is stressed, I get stressed.

Looking back, the most stressful thing, though, was that all this was beyond my control. I couldn’t make my daughter’s temperature go down or make her well enough to go back to school.

For that matter, that’s probably what’s so stressful about what I see on the news and social media. It’s all beyond my ability to control. And I hate things that are outside of my control.

Do any of you identify with me?

How well do you do in dealing with things that are outside of your control?

We’re continuing our Christmas series today, and one of our themes is the gospel, the good news. What is the gospel? There is a new King. His kingdom has started. You are invited.

Now that’s great to say. But I want us to think today about the implications of it all for us as Christians. In particular, that first point. There is a new King. And he is sitting on the throne. How should those truths shape us when things in this world and in our lives seem out of our control? Let’s take a look at Isaiah 7.

To give some background to today’s story, these events are occurring about 700 years before Jesus was born. Israel as a nation had split into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was still called Israel, but the southern kingdom was now called Judah. And a man named Ahaz was its king. Now his father had been a pretty godly man, but for some reason, Ahaz was not. He started worshiping other idols and even sacrificed his own son in the fire to his god. (2 Kings 15:3)

And apparently, two kings allied against him. One was Rezin, the king of Aram which was the Old Testament name for Syria. The other was Pekah the king of Israel. These two would actually attack Judah, but as we’ll see, they ultimately failed. But when Ahaz first got news of their alliance, look at his response in verse 2.

When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim (that is, Israel), the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind. (Isaiah 7:2)

I want you to notice two things here. First, the threat of attack was very real. But second, it hadn’t happened yet. But already, Ahaz and his people were all shaking.

How often are we like that? We hear something on the news about something going on in the world or in our nation. Or we hear some news affecting our own family. And maybe it is something to be concerned about. But it hasn’t happened yet. It may happen. But then again, it may never happen. But these things start consuming our minds. We can’t stop thinking about it. Can you identify?

That’s what Ahaz was going through. And so, like any good king would, he starts making preparations. He knew a siege was coming, so he was checking out the water supply. And as he was doing so, God sent the prophet Isaiah to him. Let’s look at the message God gave Ahaz.

Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or cowardly because of these two smoldering sticks, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah (that is, Pekah). For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted harm against you. They say, ‘Let’s go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.’ ”

This is what the Lord God says: It will not happen; it will not occur…If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:4-7, 9)

In other words, “Stop worrying so much, Ahaz. Don’t let fear or anxiety rule your heart. These guys you’re worried about are nothing. They’re less than nothing. They may be making all these plans, but they’re not on the throne. I am. Trust me. It’s only if you don’t trust me that everything will fall apart on you.”

And then God offered Ahaz something he never did for any other person in history. Look at verses 10-11.

Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

Sometimes in the Bible you see people asking God for sign. And God often graciously did. But never before had God said, “Ask me for a sign. I want you to believe me. Ask for anything, and I will give it.”

Remember: Ahaz wasn’t following God at all. But if there was even just a spark of faith, God wanted to fan it into flame. He was saying to Ahaz, “Let me prove to you that you can trust me.” But look at Ahaz’ response.

But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.” (Isaiah 7:12)

Now that may sound very pious, but actually Ahaz didn’t want to ask for a sign because he didn’t want to believe. He didn’t want to follow the Lord. He wanted to go his own way, and deal with his problems as he saw fit.

So Isaiah got very upset with Ahaz. And he said, “Well, if you’re not going to ask for a sign, God will give you one himself.” And then he said words that are familiar to all of us who are Christians, especially this Christmas season.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Let me ask you a question. And it’s a question for me too. Do we ever try God's patience by refusing to trust him? How often do we frustrate God because we refuse to simply trust him.

So often, when we’re angry, fearful, or worried, it’s because we’re not trusting God. But in those times, remember the sign he gave Ahaz. Remember the sign of Immanuel. What does Immanuel mean? It means “God is with us.” God is not only on his throne, but he is with us. And the greatest sign God has ever given to prove that he is with us was sending Jesus to this earth through the virgin Mary.

Through Jesus, God was telling us, “I am with you. Through all the brokenness that you see in this world, through all the problems in your life, I am with you. I care. And I deeply love you. So trust me.”

That’s what God was trying to communicate to Ahaz. Now likely, this prophecy God gave had two fulfillments. The closer one happened in their lifetime. The Hebrew word for virgin, by the way, doesn’t necessarily mean a woman who has never been with a man. It simply means a young woman. And it seems God was telling Ahaz, “There will be a young woman that you know who will give birth and call her son’s name Immanuel. And by the time that he has grown old enough to know what’s right and wrong, the two kings you’re worried about will be destroyed. (7:15-16)

That would be fulfilled when the kings of Assyria took down both Syria and Israel. There is some irony in that. One reason that Ahaz didn’t want to trust God was that he had his own plans to make an alliance with Assyria. He essentially bribed Assyria to attack Syria and Israel using his own treasures and treasures from God’s temple. (2 Kings 16:7-9)

But God’s point to Ahaz was, “You don’t have to make that alliance. Assyria will attack them even without your bribe. And the problem with your bribe is that Assyria will eventually turn on you and seek to destroy you. But if you would just trust me, I would protect you from not just Syria and Israel, but Assyria too.” That’s what the rest of chapters 7 and 8 are about.

But again, there was a second fulfillment, and that is found in Jesus. In chapter 8, God talks about the devastation Assyria would bring on both Judah and Israel. But look at what he says in chapter 9.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness…For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:2, 6-7)

Here we see the gospel we talked about in the beginning. A new King is coming. His Kingdom has already started. And the day will come when he reigns over all. On that day all the evil that we see in this world, that we see in our lives, will come to an end.

But as with King Ahaz, Isaiah, and all the people of that time, we’re still waiting for that to happen. And in the meantime, we still face problems. Problems that are outside of our control. So what do we do?

Number one, remember that God is on his throne. And even though things may be outside of our control, they’re not outside of his.

Honestly, that’s the thing that I tend to forget and need to constantly remind myself of. It’s when I forget that truth, that I tend to get stressed out, angry, or upset. That’s what God reminded me of in our situation with Yumi.

God is in control. I don’t know why he didn’t heal her quickly. I don’t know why he let things drag out as long as they did. But that doesn’t mean he’s left his throne. And it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care.

The truth is, while I was worried about her health, while I was worried about her academic life, I was probably worrying about things too much. The truth is, she eventually got better. And she did okay in her tests this past week. She certainly studied hard enough and she did catch up on her school work as well.

But the thing is, even if she has her struggles in school, God will take care of her. He loves her. He cares for her. Things may not go for her as I or my wife or even Yumi may dream. But God will take care of her as she trusts in him. And that’s enough. So why worry?

That’s the second thing: Stop worrying. Trust God. That’s what Isaiah told Ahaz. That’s what he tells us. “I’m Immanuel. I’m with you. I care about you. So stop worrying. Just trust me.”

Later on, God would tell Isaiah the same thing. Look at chapter 8, verse 11.

For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people: Do not call everything a conspiracy that these people say is a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.

You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy. Only he should be feared, only he should be held in awe; He will be a sanctuary… (Isaiah 8:11-14)

I like how one English translation puts verse 11: The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does.

In Ahaz’s time, everyone in Judah was worried about the conspiracy between Israel and Syria. But God told Isaiah, don’t think like everyone else does. Don’t get all worked up like everyone else.

God tells us the same thing. Now most of us aren’t worried about conspiracies against us. But a lot of times we get worked up about things on the news or social media or personal news from our family, whether its illnesses, or financial issues, or whatever else it may be.

Whenever we hear these things, especially when they’re outside of our control, it’s so easy to start giving in to fear, worry, or anger. But God tells us, “Don’t think like the people around you do. Don’t fear the things they fear. Don’t get angry at the things they get angry about. Don’t get worried about the things they get worried about. Trust me. And I will be your sanctuary, your place of safety in a broken world.”

Jesus said much the same thing in Matthew 6. He said the people of this world worry about so many things. Don’t be like them. Don’t think like them. Remember that the King is here. He is sitting on his throne. So trust him. And seek to spread his kingdom here on earth, person by person to a people that don’t know him. To people who are living in fear, anger, and anxiety every day. And let them know the good news that you have.

As you live that way, keeping your eyes on your King and his agenda, everything else in your life will fall into place.

What was Isaiah’s response to God’s words?

I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will wait for him. (Isaiah 8:17)

The Lord had hidden his face from Israel and Judah because they had turned away from him. They refused to trust him. But Isaiah said, “God, I will trust you. I will wait for you.”

That’s the third point, and it may be the most difficult: wait for the Lord. A lot of times, his timing is not ours and we get impatient. And because we get impatient, we tend to make a lot of stupid decisions. Or we get angry, worried, or upset because things are outside of our control. But a lot of times, God calls us to wait. And just keep trusting.

I have a friend named Greg who’s visited Crossroad a few times. I think he even briefly shared his story at this church as well. This past year has been a tough one for him. He was laid off from his job at Boeing, and was jobless for about a year. It just seemed like very few companies were hiring at all, and none of the interviews he did get worked out.

I’ve been there. A number of years ago, when the English school I was working for went bankrupt, I was jobless for about 9 months. It’s not easy to wait in that situation. But God eventually gave me a variety of jobs over time to keep me afloat financially, and then, in his perfect timing, he gave me the job I have now. As for Greg, at the end of October, he got rehired at Boeing.

God is good. He is faithful. But sometimes we have to wait. The same is true when we look at all the evil in this world. When we see war. Increasing crime. Corrupt and/or inept governments. In America, I see all kinds of craziness and division. I worry about my country. But that is outside of my control.

The same is true when I think about all the devastation in Gaza and Ukraine over the last several years. All that is outside of my control. I can get angry, I can get upset, I can worry. But I can change nothing. All I can do is trust that God will eventually take care of it all. He is the judge. And he will ultimately bring justice to this world.

In the meantime, and this is the fourth point, you and I need to focus on the Kingdom work that he has given us. To touch the people God has put in our lives.

For me, that starts with my wife and daughter, then to the people in the church, and then to the rest of the people in my life. Everything else, all the injustices I see in the world, all the things in my personal life that I can’t control, I leave to God. Because he can handle it. I can’t.

How about you? What anxieties, fears, or anger threaten to dominate your thinking? As God told Isaiah, we are not to think the way this world thinks. We are not to fear or be anxious about the things this world fears or is anxious about.

Why not? It’s the good news of Christmas. There is a new King. His Kingdom has started. We have been invited and are now a part of that kingdom.

So let’s trust our good King. Wait for him. And let’s touch the people God has put in our lives. People who don’t know this good news we have.

The thing is, though, they never will know that good news if we’re living like them, dominated by our worries, fears, and anger. Do they see a difference in you?

Looking back, I kind of failed in that when it came to my daughter’s illness. One day, I was spilling out all my frustrations to some of my coworkers. They were of course sympathetic. But as I reflected, I thought, “Yes, frustration was a natural response. They would have probably felt the same way. But what if they had seen a peace in me despite my frustrations? Would that have made them wonder why? Would that have attracted them to Jesus?”

I don’t know. I do know God has forgiven me. And I trust he’ll give me another chance. Jesus is Immanuel. He is God with me. But I don’t want to just say those words. I want to live like I actually believe them. How about you?