Grow With Pastor Joe

For many people the Christmas season is not so merry and bright. The days are darker, colder, and seem to never end. Memories of Christtmas yesteryear flood the depths of one’s lonely mind. Isolation. Depression. Anxiety. Stress. Thoughts of, “If I can only make it through Christmas, it’ll be better.” Sadly, most studies show that the Christmas season is a time where more than half of the adult population experiences loneliness, depression, anxiety, and in some cases self-harm. Much of this is caused by unmet expectations, the reported financial stress, and often times, strained family ties. Those most susceptible to these struggles include single adults and ‘Gen Zers,’ which is the generation just after me born between 1997 and 2012. Another particular group that deals with this is reportedly the LGBTQ+ community. Finally, another silent group of those that suffer is men. It is cited that during the holiday season that one in three men report feeling lonely or isolated even when surrounded by others. Is it really the most wonderful time of the year?

            As we approach this season, we can look to the scriptures and see the wonderful news of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and have the hope, joy, and peace that so often alludes us. Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at Christmas in Isaiah. Isaiah is one of the major prophets in the Old Testament of the Bible who ministered over 600 years before the birth of Christ. Isaiah’s ministry as a prophet to Judah covered the reigns of Uzziah (called Azariah in 2 Kings), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. MacArthur writes, “He was married and had two sons who bore symbolic names: “Shear-jashub” (“a remnant shall return,” 7:3) and “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” (“hasting to the spoil, hurrying to the prey,” 8:3). When called by God to prophesy, in the year of King Uzziah’s death, he responded with a cheerful readiness, though he knew from the beginning that his ministry would be one of fruitless warning and exhortation (6:9-13).” The book of Isaiah has been called the gospel of the Old Testament because of the immense number of prophecies about the coming of Christ, both His incarnation and future second coming to establish His kingdom. The incarnation (Christ putting on flesh and adding humanity to His eternal deity) is the culmination of much of the prophecy in the Old Testament. Isaiah has many prophecies about the birth, life, death, and kingdom of Christ. Truly, all of history anticipates, awaits, and announces His arrival. He has come, but He is coming again. Like Isaiah, we now anticipate and await His arrival that He Himself will announce.

            Today, as we start this Christmas series, we must remember those who are not so joyful or merry this Christmas. Perhaps you are one of them. However, in this series we will see the hope that comes with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In today’s passage, we will see that although much of the world feels lonely around the holidays, we can rest in God’s presence and remember that those who belong to the Lord are never alone. Isaiah 7:1-14 is our passage and of course our focus will be 7:14. The passage says, “¹And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. ² And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. ³ Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field; ⁴ And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, ⁶ Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: ⁷ Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. ⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. ⁹ And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. ¹⁰ Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ¹² But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. ¹³ And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

            First, let’s see the prophecy of Immanuel in this passage. In order to better understand the impending joy of the prophecy of Immanuel we must first see the immediate judgment that this prophecy brings. One, the immediate judgment that comes from this prophecy must be understood within the historical context found in this passage and also seen in 2 Kings 15-16. History matters when interpreting the Bible and especially when prophecy is involved. All of this is taking place during the divided kingdom period of Israel’s history which began after the death of Solomon. Israel was united during the time of Saul, David, and Solomon; however, after Solomon’s death the nation was divided about who should be king and which line had the legal right to rule. Therefore, Israel became the northern kingdom made up of ten tribes and was also referred to as Ephraim which became the predominant tribe. The southern kingdom was made up of Judah and Benjamin but was referred to as Judah. Throughout these dark days of their history, there were many wicked kings who were driven by their flesh which led the nation to commit heinous idolatry and immorality. For the most part, Judah had more good kings who walked by faith. Judah was the lineage of David and God honored Judah (and Jerusalem specifically) because of His covenant promises to David. Throughout the book of Kings and Chronicles we see God sparing Israel and specifically Judah for David’s sake. God promised to never wipe them out, but they would face war, famine, judgment, and captivity multiple times. Here in Isaiah 7, the opening portion tells us that Israel and Syria had teamed up together to go to war against Judah. Judah’s king at this time was Ahaz who was an exceptionally wicked man (See 2 Kg. 16:1-4) and who sought to have a secret alliance with the Assyrians who were on the rise as the world superpower (See 2 Kg. 6:5-9). Ahaz trusted in the military might of man. To make matters worse, Ahaz doesn’t just trust the flesh, but he trusts pagan idolators to come to his rescue. On the other side is Rezin who is the king of Syria who has aligned with Pekah the king of Israel, the son of Remeliah. God sends Isaiah to go to Ahaz and tell him to “take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands…It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” God then speaks again through Isaiah to Ahaz and invites Ahaz to ask any sign that he wishes to prove the promises of God. Ahaz the unbeliever does not ask for a sign while piously saying “neither will I tempt the Lord.” The reality is that Ahaz doesn’t ask for a sign because he doesn’t want to hear God’s word or see that it is truth. His life has been a testimony of unbelief and unrighteousness toward God. Then, the prophecy of Immanuel comes in 7:14 saying, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This acts as immediate judgment upon Ahaz because he doesn’t want a sign, but God gives one anyways. Ahaz is the poster child for the judgment that God had promised in Isa. 6:9-13. The name Immanuel means “God with us.” This acts as immediate judgment because Ahaz doesn’t want God’s presence and he doesn’t believe in God’s promises (See 2 Kg. 16 where Ahaz spoils the Temple). Furthermore, Ahaz has trusted in everything but the promises of God by trusting the Assyrians who are the enemies of God because they are idolators who are the enemy of Israel and Judah. Immanuel is rejected by Ahaz and later by Israel at the coming of Christ in John 1:11. God’s sign gives judgment upon His people but promises impending joy that Immanuel will come for us all. Two, we see the impending joy of the prophecy of Immanuel in that meaning of the name, God with us. What does this mean? The joy that Immanuel brings is the joy of God’s presence, promises, provision and protection. Wherever God is, His promises, provision, and protection of His people are already there. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. In Jesus we see all of the promises of God and the holy eternal presence of God wrapped in human flesh lying in a manger in Bethlehem. Jesus, our Immanuel offers the presence of God to Jew and Gentile who are both estranged from one another and the Lord Himself. God’s presence cannot be contained by a Tabernacle or Temple. Even the heavens can’t contain all of His glory as seen in Isa. 6:1-8. Immanuel has come for us, He abides in us, and one day in Immanuel’s land (8:8; Rev. 21-22) He will dwell with us in His Kingdom of peace.

            Second, we must see the pronouncement of Immanuel. Isa. 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Unfortunately, most commentators go off the rails here with trying to figure out if there are near and far fulfillments of this prophecy; others even question how literal to take this prophecy at all. There are two things to address here. One, the identity of Immanuel. The identity is no one in Isaiah’s day or Ahaz’s day. Immanuel is simply the Lord Jesus Christ. The name Immanuel itself implies, and I would argue necessitates the identity of Immanuel to be both divine and human. There is only ever been and will only ever be one God-Man, the man Christ Jesus, the Son of God. Immanuel means God with us. In order for God to dwell with us He must put on flesh for man cannot put on deity. The identity of Immanuel is also seen in Jesus alone because of the necessity of a virgin birth as given in this prophecy. Jesus alone has been born of a virgin. Once more, the commentators here bicker, argue, and do unnecessary gymnastics with the text. The word translated as ‘virgin’ is the Hebrew word ‘alma’ which is used seven other times; coincidentally, not one of those seven uses are for married women or those who have had sexual intercourse with a man. Furthermore, the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament and readily available and utilized in Jesus’ day) uses the Greek word ‘parthenos’ which can ONLY mean ‘virgin’. We see that Jesus alone can fulfill this prophecy that was also foreshadowed in Gen. 3:15 (seed of the woman) and then again in both Matthew and Luke’s account of the birth of Christ (See Mt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). The identity of Immanuel is clearly the Lord Jesus Christ, born of Mary the virgin girl espoused to Joseph. Two, we need to see the incarnation of Immanuel. As we covered above, Immanuel must be both divine and human. How can this be? This truth is unfathomable to the Jewish and Greek mind, however, it reveals to us the mind and heart of God in relation to the redemption of sinners. In the incarnation, Immanuel was born. Jesus is the ‘I AM’ who created all things, clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and now He puts on flesh to dwell among us (See John 1:1-17). He is the maker in a manger. The majesty and manifestation of God in the flesh. Those tiny baby fingers formed Adam. The cries of the newborn Jesus came from the same one who spoke all things into existence. There is a key in understanding the incarnation of Immanuel in Isa. 7:14. The ‘son’ of this verse must be a literal son and legal heir to the throne of David. The Lord Jesus Christ fits the bill as we see his deity as the Son of God and his humanity as the son of Mary. Matthew and Luke present the genealogies of Joseph and Mary to show that Jesus, Immanuel, had the legal and literal right to rule as the true King of Israel. There in the manger, the infinite infant is the incarnate Immanuel, God with us. The night of His birth, Angels and Shepherds (later Magi) would pronounce the birth of Immanuel, the God-Man, the Word made flesh, the very presence of God dwelling in human flesh who has come to reconcile us to God.

            Third, we must see the presence of Immanuel. God with us. The moment that sin entered into Adam’s heart the enjoyment of the presence of God was snatched away. Man has lived without knowing the fulness and pleasure of the presence of God throughout history. Then, God intervenes in the incarnation of Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ brings the very presence of God to earth. To the outcast, the leper and the lame. The blind, deaf, and dumb. The sinner and the suffering. You. Me. The Bible begins and ends with the presence of God and smack dab in the middle of it all, Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ comes to make it possible to enter into the presence of God and enjoy the presence of God by His life, death, resurrection, intercession, and imminent return. There are two things about the presence of Immanuel that we should note as we close. One, notice the infinite presence of Immanuel. “God” is uncreated, self-existent, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. If you could board a rocket ship that could travel all the way backwards or forwards in time and space, you would see that He has no beginning or ending. He is the very reason that there is a beginning and ending of which all points to the majesty of His presence. God simply is. The infinite presence of Immanuel stretches far and wide. However, the incarnation does something remarkable. Two, notice the intimate presence of Immanuel. Not only is He present far and wide, but even better, Immanuel is near and dear. He is closer than the clothes on your back. He is dearer than the presence of anyone in this world, especially for the lonely this Christmas. In the past, Immanuel came for us to offer redemption through His sacrifice of Himself for our sins. For those who know Christ, in the present we know that Immanuel is now in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit enabling us to enjoy the presence of God wherever we are and no matter what circumstances may come. God is present with His children. Then, we see that Immanuel will be with us in eternity and we shall see Him and enjoy the blessings of His presence in Immanuel’s land forevermore (Rev. 21-22). The presence of God is meant to be enjoyed, but for those who have not repented and trusted Christ they cannot know the joy of God’s presence. Later, Isaiah writes in Isa. 57:15-21, “¹⁵ For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. ¹⁶ For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. ¹⁷ For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. ¹⁸ I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. ¹⁹ I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. ²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ²¹ There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” The presence of God will either bring you joy or dread. If you don’t believe me, then ask Isaiah in 6:1-8.

            As we bring this to a close, you may be the lonely, broken, isolated, outcast, or depressed soul in great distress this Christmas. Perhaps despite all of the festivities, maybe you are just plain alone. Not all the eggnog in the world could drown your sorrows and all the Christmas cookies will never fill the emptiness of your heart. However, Immanuel, God with us can. You don’t have to be alone. For those that know Christ, when we are alone, we are still able to rest knowing that we are alone with God. Don’t let this season distract you from your greatest need which is to know and enjoy the presence of God. Perhaps you don’t know Christ and the thought of standing before God only brings dread. Maybe you’ve turned everywhere else and you are ready to give up. Don’t. You are not alone. Immanuel has come for you and desires that you’d now come to Him in faith. Isaiah later gives the great invitation for all to come in Isa. 55 and that includes you! Immanuel, God with us; what a thought that is. I pray that you know the presence of Immanuel this Christmas.