12/23/07 Immanuel!

Matt. 1:18-23 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."

Immanuel - God With us...

The passage I just read is from

the first chapter of the Bk of Matthew.

We recognize it, of course,

as part of the Christmas story,

recording the events

that surrounded the birth of Christ.

Most of that passage was written

by Matthew, one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus,

probably around 60 AD.

The last verse of that passage, however,

was not written by Matthew.

It was actually written 700 years earlier

and simply quoted by Matthew.

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us.”

That statement was written in 735 BC.

It was not a good time in the life

of the nation of Israel.

Two hundred years earlier

Solomon had been on the throne,

and before him

King David himself had ruled.

Those had been good days for God’s people,

good days under Godly rule,

days when submission to God

had brought prosperity

in every area of life.

Even the economy thrived to the point where

those who chronicled that era

have told us that there was so much gold in the kingdom

that silver wasn’t considered valuable in the days of Solomon.

But that was long, long ago,

two hundred years before Isaiah came on the scene,

two hundred years in which the nation of Israel had suffered

under a nearly unbroken line

of Kings who turned their backs on God and did it their way.

It is remarkable how much abuse

a nation can endure

from unrighteous rulers

and still survive.

But clearly the nation had suffered.

Just after Solomon’s death

the kingdom had split in two,

with the northern Kingdom claiming ten tribes,

and the Southern Kingdom the remaining two.

And now, in 735 BC

the Northern Kingdom would have only 15 more years of existence

before it would be totally destroyed forever.

The Southern Kingdom

had survived a little better,

thanks only to an occasional leader

who remember his God

and returned his people to repentance

and submission to their Creator.

But such men were the rare exception.

And King Ahaz was clearly NOT

one of those exceptions.

We are told simply in II Kings 16:1-2 that

...Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.

The little nation of Judah was under tremendous stress during the days of Ahaz.

War and the fear of war

was a way of life.

Israel, the northern Kingdom,

and the neighboring nation of Syria

had joined forces and waged war against Judah.

But, rather than turning to God for help

Ahaz turned to Assyria for deliverance.

Listen to his words:

2 Kin. 16:7 So Ahaz sent messengers to the king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me...”

Words that he should have spoken

only to his God

he freely bestowed on his pagan neighbor.

And to prove where his heart,

and his hope,

and his allegiance really was..

2 Kin. 16:8 ... 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 a present to the king of Assyria.

It was not a good time in the life of the little nation.

There was a prophet on the scene, of course.

There was always a prophet,

God’s voice calling His people

back to Himself.

At this point in the nation’s history

the prophet’s name was Isaiah.

I love the way history has the ability

to bring people and events

into proper focus.

If we would have lived in Judah

at the time of Ahaz and Isaiah

all eyes would have been on Ahaz.

After all he was the king,

the great leader,

the one with power and authority.

And Isaiah was just an irritating little mouth,

forever jabbing at the great head of state.

Now, of course, we see Ahaz for what he was -

a cheap, arrogant, self-centered little man

with zero moral integrity

or strength of character,

a man who would rather destroy his nation

than bow before his God in repentance.

And Isaiah is now known as the Prince of all Prophets,

among the greatest men in human history,

whose words and actions

will continue to impact lives forever.

But back in 735 BC it didn’t appear to be that way.

King Ahaz was busy robbing his God

in order to save his own skin,

and the eyes of the nation

were fixed on him for their salvation.

It was at this point

that Isaiah offered king Ahaz a deal.

In effect he said,

“Look, Ahaz, I know you refuse to reach out to your God.

Perhaps it is because you do not trust Him.

Perhaps you don’t even think He’s there,

or perhaps you think He doesn’t care.

Well, listen Ahaz! This God you refuse to honor

will deliver Judah from these enemies

that you dread so much.”

And then Isaiah offered Ahaz a deal.

He said, ‟Look! Maybe this will help you to trust your God...

Is. 7:11 "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven."

What a bargain!

You want proof?

OK, here’s the deal -

think up any sign you want -

ask that the sun will rise in the west tomorrow morning,

ask for a mighty earthquake

to strike at the time and place you choose,

ask for the rain to fall up instead of down.

ASK,

ask a sign from your God

and He will give it to you.”

And listen to Ahaz’s response:

Is. 7:12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!"

HUH?!

Why? Why not take God up

on His remarkable offer?

Because Ahaz’s problem was not doubt,

it was rebellion.

You see, he didn’t want to be believe,

and the last thing he wanted

was irrefutable proof.

He did not want a God

who had the power to save,

but Who also had the right to require

submission,

and obedience,

and faithfulness to Himself.

Ahaz tried to cloth his response

in a facade of piety:

Is. 7:12"I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!"

The implication, of course,

is that he would not presume

to put a test upon the Lord.

But his real heart intent was clear to Isaiah,

and the prophet’s response

was sharp.

Isaiah said,

Is. 7:13-14..."Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel...which means God with us.

He went on to tell the King

that, before this child turned 3 years old

those who sought to destroy the Nation

would be destroyed by the Lord.

The Hebrew word that Isaiah used for virgin

was a word that could mean either

virgin

or young maiden.

Isaiah then married a young maiden,

and she gave birth to a son

who became the fulfillment of the sign

that Isaiah had promised Ahaz.

But what Ahaz did not know

and Isaiah did not reveal until

after the birth of his son

is that this was a double prophecy,

and one who’s most significant fulfillment

would not take place for another 700 years.

Shortly after his son was born

Isaiah spoke again about this prophesied son,

making it clear that something far greater was going on in God’s great plan

than just Ahaz’s little mess.

In Isaiah 9:2-7 Isaiah completed the picture.

Is. 9:2The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

And then, talking about God Himself

Isaiah went on to say,

Is. 9:3-4 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, ...

And then Isaiah goes on to reveal HOW God will do this.

He returns to the promised child,

Immanuel, God is with us,

only this time He makes it clear

that it is not Isaiah’s son who is being discussed,

but a very different child.

Isaiah says,

Is. 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called

Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God,

Eternal Father,

Prince of Peace.

Is. 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

And then, to complete the picture,

when Matthew correctly identified these prophecies as being fulfilled

in the Person of Jesus Christ,

when he quoted Isaiah in Matt. 1:23, saying,

‟Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."...

the Greek word used for ‟Virgin”

does not have two possible means

as did the Hebrew word.

The Greek word,

like the English word can mean only one thing - VIRGIN.

A Virgin shall bear a son,

and they shall call His name Immanuel,

...God with us!

I really like that!

I like the way God chose to make that promise to His people

at a time when they had no claim to such a hope,

at a time when the king was a jerk,

and the nation was a moral disaster.

It reminds me that our God is the type of God

who offers us His salvation

not at the times when we most deserve it,

but at those times

when we most desperately need it.

It helps me remember once again

that our God is a God

who is committed to pulling me out of my messes

rather than blaming me for getting into them.

And I also like that name, “Immanuel”,

God with us.

You see, it’s not US WITH GOD,

Its GOD WITH US.

It is not us moving into His world,

it’s Him moving into ours.

That one word, Immanuel,

has lunged out at me again this Christmas

as never before.

It is a title carefully selected by God

for the Person of Christ

to help us see what was really happening

in those events surrounding Christ’s entrance into the world.

You see, this is a God who is determined

to intrude into our world.

There was nothing magic,

nothing divine,

nothing superhuman about Mary.

Certainly she had a reverence for her God

and a commitment to obey Him.

But none of her friends would have singled her out for greatness.

And that day,

that remarkable day in her life

began like any other day.

Mary got out of bed,

and went about the routines of life.

Her greatest expectations of the future

involved marriage to a young carpenter,

and the hope of children,

and grandchildren,

and a life of integrity in a small Jewish community.

And then that BEING stepped through her door,

intruding into her life and said,

Luke 1:28 ..."Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

This Being then went on to tell Mary

that she, a virgin, would give birth to a Son who would be God’s promised Savior for His people.

And Mary discovered Immanuel - God with us -

God entering our life

on His terms

to meet our deepest needs.

When those shepherds sat around their fire that night,

weary after a long day,

their greatest hope was for a few hours sleep

before another day began.

Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terrified.

God intruding into their life...

Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;

Luke 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:12 "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger."

And suddenly those men discovered Immanuel - God with them

in a way that would transform their lives forever.

It was the same way with Joseph,

and with the Magi,

and with Simion in the temple.

It was the same way with me

in the fall of 1966.

I was just a kid, 19 years old,

and all of the sudden God intruded into my life -

Immanuel - God with me,

laying claim to my life

and asking me if I was willing

to do business with Him on His terms.

I know some of you are going through

extremely hard times right now.

Like Ahaz you may feel like all your enemies have made a pact

to attack you all at once.

And you are frantically looking for your Assyria to deliver you.

I don’t fault you for reaching out to Assyria,

but I want to prepare you for something else -

I want to prepare you for Immanuel.

It is not a comforting word - not at first.

With Mary

and Joseph

and the Shepherds

and me

the first response to God With Us

was fear.

Its hard to know how to act

with God in the room.

We never ever feel sufficiently prepared for His arrival.

But at that point when He intrudes

and when He asks you to take your eyes

off of your Assyria

and turn them onto Himself

I want you to know - He intrudes

because He loves you.

Isaiah put it best.

He intrudes because

He wants those who walk in darkness

To see great light,

and those who live in a dark land

to have the light shine upon them.

He wants to increase their gladness

and to discover a gladness in His presence

as with the gladness of harvest.

Because, you see, He intrudes with a purpose,

Immanuel, God is with us in order to break the yoke of our burden,

and the staff on our shoulders.