Immanuel, God with Us

Introduction

December is upon us once again.

Is this your favorite time of the year?

The Church looks lovely.

A big thank-you to all who helped decorate.

There are even lights outside, that compliment the light we have that shines on the cross.

That is what we want this church to be all about, shinning on and lifting up the cross, the ultimate expression of God’s love, of Immanuel, God with us.

Next Saturday night we will have out Candlelight and Carol Service here at 7pm.

Please don’t miss it. Bring your family, friends and neighbours.

Pause

Today we begin our series in the run up to Christmas.

We will be looking at two messianic (mess-e-anic) prophecies in Isaiah.

We are going back in time, to the time of his father, King Ahaz.

Scripture Reading

Before our Scripture reading today, I would like to start with this,

Isaiah 7:10–17 NKJV

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 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 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”

But I would like to start with this,

Isaiah 7:10–19 NKJV

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 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 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.” 18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures.

Is 7:10

Our Dog - Toby

Toby was our first dog as a family.

A black lab.

He was given to us as a small puppy.

He bonded with our family very quickly.

Our son and daughter, very young at the time, loved him.

There was a time when our children were not.

They grew up and He grew up.

We all loved him.

Toby learned to listen to us.

He learned what each word meant .

He even learned to respond to the tome in our voice.

The same cannot said of Jesus, He always from everlasting.

He learned what to do.

“Sit, Stay, Lay down, Come here”

Toby learned to hear our voice and trust us in all situations.

First Home

When we moved house the first time, we were fortunate to a pool.

But Toby did not know what a pool was.

He must of thought he could walk on water.

He learned very quickly not to do that again.

Second Home

When we moved house the second time, we moved into the country, on some acres.

There was no fence on the land.

But Toby learned not to stray too far.

He would be outside most of the time with no lead, but he got to know the boundaries.

Instinctively over time, he learned the boundaries of his life.

He always stayed close to home.

Even the Mail Lady loved our Toby.

They don’t have post boxes in the doors as they do here, rather you put up mail boxes at the end of the driveway.

Every-time the ail Lady came, Toby would walk to her and greet her.

Toby would do the same with the neighbours.

The Mail Lady loved Toby, as did the neighbours.

Toby’s walk got slower and slower.

When Toby eventually died, Norma put out a sign on our mail box so all the neighbours would know.

The Mail Lasy left us a very moving message of sympathy.

Unforced Rhythm of Life

Toby had learned to trust us, to hear our voice, even the tone of our voice, and to respond.

Toby had learned the boundaries of his life

Toby had learned to stay home or very near to home even when not on a leash.

A simple like, a happy life.

There was an unforced rhythm to Toby’s life.

Of trust in us, that showed in all he did.

Day in, day out.

Until the day Toby died.

We as a family still miss our Toby

Spread it before the Lord

For those of you who were here a couple of weeks ago, We finished with King Hezekiah and Jerusalem facing the imminent threat of utter destruction from the approaching vast and ruthless Assyrian army.

An army of at least 186k men!

Judah, and it 46 or so fortified cities, had been mostly decimated as the vast army made its way to the ultimate prize, Jerusalem.

The land, the crops, the fruit trees, had been consumed as this army went from city to city, and from place to place.

And after receiving that “threatening and blasphemous letter” from the King of Assyria, what did King Hezekiah do?

He could have bared his teeth at this enemy.

He could have written his own letter of rebuke.

He could have spoken his words of anger.

He could have run for help here and there and everywhere.

He could even have marched out his entire army to war.

But He did not!

He went up to the house of the Lord, that Solomon had built.

And He spread the letter from his enemy before the Lord.

He prayed.

Rejection of God’s Plan

He waited.

With Expectant Faith.

A couple of weeks ago we looked at Hezekiah’s example and how when we received those he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it all before the Lord

Hezekiah vs His Father

Hezekiah is an example of someone who learned to discern the Lord’s voice.

You don’t just react like that to a crisis.

It reflects deep spiritual habits that where already deeply in his everyday life.

Hezekiah was an example of someone who learned to humbly accept the Lord’s boundaries in His life.

Hezekiah was an example of someone who learned how to respond to the Lord’s voice and command.

He was not perfect, but He was on the right path.

Pause

But unfortunately the same cannot be said of His Father, King Ahaz.

Scripture Reading

And so we come to today’s reading

The context here is found in ,

turn not away as though it were nothing to you; but believe on him and you shall be saved. Trust your soul with him and he will bring you to his Father’s right hand in glory everlasting.

Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. London: Passmore & Alabaster.

The imminent threat to Judah this time was from Syria and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

They had formed an alliance against Judah.

But as always, the Lord raises up his person.

The message of assurance is given to King Ahaz that the Lord would handle His enemies .

Isaiah 7:3–7 NKJV

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”—7 thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass.

All good so far.

But then we read, continuing In ,

Any time lapse between this section and the previous one must be short, as the offer of a sign to Ahaz was to conform the promise just made.

Isaiah 7:10–16 NKJV

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 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 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

Is 7:10-16

Matthew 1:21–23 NKJV

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matt 1:

Isaiah 7:10–17 NKJV

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 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 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”

A Sign Rejected

We have read the context of the offer of a sign of deliverance from Ahaz enemies.

But King Ahaz rejects that offer of a sign based on .

Deuteronomy 6:16 NKJV

16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.

At first reading this can seem understandable and even pious.

Matthew 16:4 NKJV

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

Mark 8:12 NKJV

12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Luke 11:29 NKJV

29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

The same charge can be laid against many in today’s generation.

But here Ahaz is not the one asking for a sign, God is offering a sign.

The rejection of that offer, is a really a rejection of God and His way.

It is a rejection of ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted”.

King Ahaz Plan

Is it because King Ahaz already has his plan for deliverance.

2 Kings 16:7–8 NKJV

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.

God knew this!

How different is the response of Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, to the imminent threat of danger from Assyria.

It is important to understand the context of King Ahaz rejecting the offer for a sign.

And then the Lord’s response in the promise of the greatest of all signs.

It is to be noted that the Lord still kept His word sent through the Prophet Isaiah.

Judah was saved from that threat.

Think on that.

Even though King Ahaz rejected God’s way, still the Lord fulfilled His promise to protect Judah at this time

The Greatest of all Signs

And in the midst of the rejection of one sign, the Lord brings forth the promise of an even greater sign for all humankind.

For the light always shines the brightest in the darkest places and times.

We read in Matthew, quoting from the very

Isaiah 7:14 NKJV

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.

Matthew 1:21–23 NKJV

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:23–24 NKJV

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

And today’s reading

Matt 1:

The Virgin will be with Child.

That is a mystery.

She shall bear a son.

They shall call His name, Immanuel, which means “God with us”.

2 Kings 16:7–8 NKJV

7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria.

The Promised Messiah

The Promise of a Godly King

Birth of Rebecca and Rhys

The promise of a true Davidic King.

There was a time when our children were not.

King and Priest.

Next Week

Next week we shall look at the progressive revelation of this wondrous sign in .

The same cannot said of Jesus, He always from everlasting.

It builds on this little glimpse, this tiny glimpse, we get in .

It is an example of the progressive revelation we see in the Bible, with the centre of all focus on Jesus Christ.

Immanuel, God with us

It is one of the most famous prophecy about Jesus in the OT.

Is it any wonder Isaiah is called the Fifth Gospel, or the Gospel of the OT.

Isaiah 9:6–7 NKJV

6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Is 9:6

The Narrow Gate

The story is told of the meeting of a Pastor with a famous Actress.

I will not use name.

Eventually the conversation turned to Faith in God.

The Minister said, “Jesus is the Son of God.”

The famous actress replied, “He may be the Son of God for you, but He is not for me”

The Minister replied, “He is either the Son of God, or He is not”

Jesus said the same thing, he put it this way,

Matthew 7:13–14 NKJV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

That is the stark reality

Matthew 7:13 NKJV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Matt 7:

The narrow Gate

The difficult way

But the way that is “Immanuel, God with us”

That leads to eternal life.

Two Kings, two gates and two paths.

King Ahaz, the wide gate and the broad way.

King Hezekiah, the narrow gate and the difficult way.

How about us?

A new start.

This afternoon we will celebrate 5 baptism in Great Yarmouth.

Please all come along.

A new start.

Born again.

Of Water and of The Spirit.

Morning and Evening Morning, December 7

turn not away as though it were nothing to you; but believe on him and you shall be saved. Trust your soul with him and he will bring you to his Father’s right hand in glory everlasting.