Christmas: The Long Night before Christmas, #1

The Long Night before Christmas, #1

Jeff Jones, Senior Pastor

December 14/16, 2007

Welcome, Chase Oaks! Great to see you here today, as we are cruising right into the middle of the Christmas season. Since it is Christmas season, I have a really cool little toy with me. I wish they had these RC cars when I was a kid…we had some very crude versions, but these are a blast. I feel like I’m too old to ask for this for Christmas, but it is fun to play with, especially out in the parking lot. Fun because I’m in complete control. I’ve got the controls, and the car does exactly what I tell it to do. Just the way life should be…me in complete control. Except life doesn’t really work that way, does it? In fact, it often seems like there is no one in control of our lives or of the world. If we are honest, even though we know that someone is in control of everything, things happen that make us wonder if anyone is really at the controls (crash). Things happen that make us wonder why they would be allowed, and we have to wonder what is going on…is anyone really in control of our lives, of this world?

Just last week, four young, innocent people, died in a Colorado church and YWAM training center because of some teenager that flipped out. Who was at the controls then? We look at other world events, and this planet seems like it is just spinning out of control, things crashing everywhere. Add to that those things that happen in our own personal lives that make us wonder what is happening. Many of us know that God is at the controls, but life circumstances can make you wonder what is happening, even leave you hopeless, nervous and scared…wondering what is really going on. For some of you, life right now is cruising along just fine, and you feel good about life being in control. Others of you however are facing very different circumstances this Christmas, scary ones…circumstances out of your control, could be a marriage breaking apart, a child going the wrong direction, health issues, job or financial disaster. This Christmas, you are trying to put on a happy face when people say, “Merry Christmas,” but inside you are kind of shaking.

Every year however, Christmas does come, and what I want us to see this year is that Christmas is a huge reminder that, whatever circumstances are happening in our lives, that there is a God above the circumstances who is good, who can be trusted, and who really is at the controls. If you are struggling with circumstances, my prayer is that this Christmas, even today, God would lift us above them to see who is really in control…because Christmas is an every year reminder that God is in control, he is good, and can be trusted.

There are many things amazing about the Christmas story, but right up at the top has to be all the fulfilled prophecies. The details of the birth of Jesus weren’t haphazard, but hundreds of years before had been predicted. I want us to look at just one of those prophesies today, a familiar one that we hear in Christmas songs quite a bit. In Matthew 1, an angel comes to tell Joseph that Mary, even though she is a virgin, is going to have a child, and that child would be the savior of the world. And in verse 22 and 23, we read,

Slide; _________________ ) Matthew 1:22-23

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, ‘God with us.’” That prophecy was made 700 years before the angel came to Joseph, in 735 B.C., at a time when the nation was shaking in fear. They were struggling to trust that someone was at the controls. So, if you have your Bibles, turn with me to Isaiah 7, back when that prophecy was first made. Isaiah was a prophet of God, a spokesman for God, who uttered the prophecy to the king of Judah, a man named Ahaz. God’s people, Israel, had been broken up into two separate nations, Israel in the North and Judah in the south. Ahaz was the king of the nation of Judah, and Pekah was the king of the northern kingdom, that retained the name Israel. Even though both nations were God’s people, both kings were very evil. They followed other gods, and were about as evil as it got. Yet, God was committed to the nation of Judah, because it was through the line of Judah that the messiah would come. What happens in the story is that the northern kingdom decides to conquer Judah, and the king of the north allies himself with another nation, and both of their armies attack Judah, getting all the way to the capitol city, Jerusalem. All that is left in Judah is that one city, and the two armies have laid siege. So, in verse 2, we read,

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 7:2

Now the house of David was told, ‘Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

Ahaz and the people of Judah are shaken to their core, as they see these armies right outside the city walls. The circumstances could hardly be worse for them, and they are shaken. Have you ever been shaken that way by life circumstances? A late night phone call, a report from a doctor, a shocking revelation from a loved one, a lay-off notice, a sudden trip to the hospital? I’ll never forget the sudden phone call that came when Collin, my oldest son, had a head injury at camp. All the person said at that small hospital was, “We’ve put him on a care flight to Children’s Hospital in Dallas, because he has a skull fracture with internal bleeding and swelling in his brain, and we can’t treat him. Unfortunately we can’t tell you any more than that, because we really don’t know.” I couldn’t believe it, and believe me I was shaken. He ended up being fine, though he did have to recover, but at the time I was shaken to the core, and it was something completely out of my control. At such times, what do we do? What do you do? Turn to God who is in control? Panic? Bail out on God and take over? Get angry at God? At such times, can we trust God or not? Can we rest in God’s control or not?

We know what Ahaz chose, and it didn’t take him very long. Ahaz was not the kind of person that would ever turn to God on his own, so he panics and decides to sell out to Assyria, the superpower of his day. 1 Kings 16 tells the story how Ahaz takes all the most expensive worship implements and other treasures in the temple and sends them to the King of Assyria, and asks for his protection, for him to intervene and take away this threat. He was asking to become a vassal state of Assyria, and pledged his allegiance for Judah to be under the rule of Assyria. That would have devastating consequences, including the obligation to serve the gods of Assyria and abandon the worship of God. By turning to Assyria, he was denying his belief in God. For him, it seemed crazy to trust a God who was invisible and seemingly not in control when he could get the help of the most powerful nation on the planet, so he starts his plan to sell out to Assyria.

Of course, God knows all this, so before it is too late, he sends his prophet Isaiah to intervene, verse 3:

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 7: 3

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood…” Have you ever been all worked up, and had someone tell you, “Calm down! Just be calm.” Makes you want to hit them in the nose, but Isaiah was speaking for God, and God was letting Ahaz no that there was no need to panic. These two nations were nothing, like two pieces of firewood that are about to burn out. God was asking Ahaz to trust him, and not run to Assyria and give up sovereignty as a nation. God is giving Ahaz a choice, to trust him to take care of his problem or bail out on God and run to Assyria, a very false sense of security. We can trust in false securities too, bank accounts, jobs, assets. Ahaz has a choice, and Isaiah knows that Ahaz’s bent is to not trust God and instead run to some false security, so he asks Ahaz to name a miracle that God could do to help him trust. He says,

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 7:11

Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights (11).” Wow! A blank check from God. Isaiah was giving Ahaz a blank check, saying to Ahaz, “Go ahead, ask God to do anything, no restrictions, to help you believe him…he’ll do anything.” Ahaz wasn’t godly, but he knew the old stories about the miracles God had done. God was giving him a blank check.

What would you say? If God said to you in your circumstances right now, “To help you know that I am at the controls, what do you want me to do. I’ll do anything.” What would you do? This week, I went to Checkpoint, our midweek Kidzone experience, and asked some of our kids what they would ask. Here are a few responses:

Those are really great, but Ahaz wasn’t in the mood to trust God. He has already made up his mind. So, in verse 16 we read,

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 7: 12

But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Sounds very spiritual doesn’t it, but Ahaz doesn’t have a spiritual bone in his body. He has already made up his mind, and the deal with Assyria is pretty close to being a done deal. He can choose to trust the invisible God or trust a very visible superpower called Assyria. He chooses curtain B, and refuses even the offer of a sign from God.

So, Isaiah says, “Well, I’m going to give you a sign anyway.” In verse 13, we read,

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 7:13-14

“Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (13-14). There is our prophecy, our sign. A young woman, translated, “virgin,” will have a baby. In Hebrew, the word is Almah, which means an unmarried young woman, which typically was a virgin but not necessarily. In the Greek in Matthew, the word for virgin is used, so Mary definitely was a virgin. So, for Ahaz back in the Old Testament days, here is the sign from Isaiah: A young, unmarried woman will have a baby, and she will name him Immanuel.

Ahaz is unimpressed. Okay, so a young, unmarried woman is going to have a baby and give him a funky name. Big deal, happens all the time. What kind of sign is that? But Ahaz was not really listening, because the name may be strange but a very significant meaning, “God with us.” This baby would be no ordinary baby.

That’s going over Ahaz’s head, though, so Isaiah continues to prophesy, to let him know what will happen if Ahaz turns to Assyria…how Assyria would first take over the northern kingdom and then Judah, and then God would raise up another nation over them, and then back to that strange-named baby who would be born as a sign. Chapter 9 gives him some new names, and lets him know that this baby would deliver the nation,

Slide; _________________ ) Isaiah 9: 6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor (strange name for a baby), Mighty God (Again, Ahaz not listening, how many babies are also Mighty God), Everlasting Father (Now, that one is out there, a baby is also a father? And everlasting?), Prince of Peace. This was no ordinary baby: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel. But Ahaz had stopped listening, because his mind was already made up. And because of Ahaz’s lack of faith, the people of God would sell out to Assyria and be in captivity to Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome, for almost 8 hundred years. God would have taken care of them; they would have avoided all that if Ahaz had just trusted God…but he would not.

So, the prophecies of Isaiah did come true, those nations all in a row ruling over God’s people until a baby would come, a very special baby that would grow up to be a deliverer, the Messiah, God himself. God would become Immanuel, God with us, by coming to earth as a baby to a young virgin girl named Mary. And, again, Matthew 1:22 says,

Slide; _________________ ) Matthew 1:22

“All this happened to fulfill the prophecy…”

God was orchestrating world events up to the very time of Jesus’ birth, even when it looked like no one was at the controls. To the people of Judah, it looked like nothing was happening, because they were captive for centuries and no deliverance. But God was working out his plan the whole time. He was in complete control. And then the baby, the Messiah was born.

And the predictions were fulfilled just as God had predicted…not only this one, but dozens of others. One of the most amazing things about Christmas that is often overlooked is all of the fulfilled prophesies. Dozens of prophecies were made about Jesus’ birth, where and how, to whom, and about the circumstances around it—all in the Old Testament. If you are ever struggle to believe that God is at the controls, just think about that. One math professor, Dr. Peter Stoner, decided to figure out the probability of 48 of the Old Testament prophesies being fulfilled by Jesus’ birth. He employed his 600 students to run the numbers, and what they concluded was that for Jesus to have fulfilled those 48 prophesies like he did, the odds were 1:13 trillion, that is 1 to 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion, 1 trillion—to say the least long odds. Odds that make the lottery a sure thing in comparison, but Jesus did it. God wanted there to be no mistake, that this was the Messiah, the one who would come to deliver his people and bring salvation to all who were open to it.

So, what does all this mean to you and me at Christmas 2007? That God is in complete control, and that he can be trusted. The one who is in control of the world is good and powerful, and you can trust him. That is true when circumstances are good, but that is also true when they are scary or are just plain cruddy. And for many of you here today as you approach Christmas this year, you can relate to Ahaz and his shaking, because circumstances have you shaking, either shaking in fear or shaking your head in disbelief.

You have a choice. You can either focus on the circumstances, or you can lift your eyes up to the God who is above the circumstances and in control of them. He is working out his plan. If Isaiah was here today, he would say to you and me what he said to Ahaz 2800 years ago: Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid, because God is worthy of our trust.

In a world where it looks like no one is at the controls, will we trust him? When circumstances frighten, will we keep calm and unafraid and trust him? It is easy to panic and make mistakes when we are scared…but God is saying this Christmas, “Trust me.” In fact, every Christmas we celebrate is one of the ways God reminds us that he is indeed in control, because every year we celebrate this prophecy coming true that reminds us that God is very much at the helm. Every year at Christmas should be this incredible encouragement: Okay, God is really in control, and he really is good, and I can rest in that.

When I think of that, a story pops into my mind from my own childhood. It was on New Years Eve, and our family was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. Alabama was playing in the Sugar Bowl, and we went to eat at the French Quarter. I was just a little guy, and New Years Eve in the French Quarter around midnight is quite an adventure for a little kid. We had to wait for a couple of hours for a table, so my dad took me for a walk down Bourbon Street. It was an eye-opener to say the least, as thousands of people, many drunk and crazy, were jammed into this little area. People were hawking outside of strip clubs to get you to come in, some girls were swinging over the street on swings, others dancing on tables inside places, and people were constantly bumping me. It normally would have been intimidating and scary for a little guy, but my dad was holding my hand, really tight. I’ll never forget that feeling. The circumstances were scary, no doubt. But my dad was familiar, and I knew I could trust him. He was there, and he was in control. I had nothing to worry about.

Same with you in your circumstances right now. If you know Jesus Christ, he is your heavenly father. He is mighty God, everlasting father, the prince of peace. He is there, and he is holding out his hand, to walk with you right through your circumstances.

Slide; _________________ ) 1 Peter 5:7

says, “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” You can worry and panic and go nuts if you want to, or you can reach out for his hand, and cast those worries on him and let him take care of it. Why not give away those burdens and anxieties and cares this Christmas, and remember that God is in control.

I don’t know what you are going through. Some of you as I said are cruising right through the holidays, life is good. Enjoy it, because life doesn’t always stay that way. For most of you though, you have cares. Circumstances are not the way you would design them if you were in control. There is heartache or anxiety this Christmas. So, let’s give those aches and cares to God, and ask him to replace it with his peace. Every year we celebrate Christmas, a reminder that God is in complete control.

Prayer Process.