Isaiah 7

Turn back to Isaiah chapter 7. We'll be looking at verses 1-14 and in particular verse 14.

Isaiah 7 · chapter mention

! Have a think, do you know what the most common, the most mentioned command in the Bible is? Have a think, don't say out loud. Have a guess. This is one of the classic Bible trivia questions.

So the most mentioned command in the Bible, it isn't believe, it isn't praise the Lord, that would be a good guess. No, the most common command in the Bible is do not fear.

Do not fear. You can have that for your Christmas quiz later in the year. And if we think about it, the reality of this, if you think about just the reality of this world,

the fact that do not fear is the most common command, that shouldn't be a surprise to us.

Because we are constantly scared about where the world is heading. You look at these wars going on now, all this conflict, these negotiations,

and it just feels like we're on the brink of World War 3. And we can be scared of where the world is heading.

Is this all just going to end in a nuclear apocalypse?

We can look at our country and it feels like everything is falling apart, economically, morally, like everything is going downhill.

And we can fear, where is all this going to end?

And we can feel that about the church.

We see the decline of the church in the UK, the constant opposition we get at work, at school, just the godlessness around us.

And we can fear about the future. Where is the church heading?

If you're not a believer here tonight, and you might look at the church and think, is this all just a fad?

Just a passing religion of this world?

And when humanity just kind of comes to its senses, then the church will just fizzle out.

The Bible tells us that this world is a spiritual war zone.

That's what Paul says in Ephesians.

We wrestle against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.

Against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

We may not realise it, but if you pull back the curtain of reality, we are in a spiritual war.

Satan wants your soul.

Sin lurks in our hearts.

Guilt hangs over a cursed humanity.

And death is the final enemy that goes after all of us.

God is bringing in his kingdom, but a kingdom of darkness fights against it.

And as we see the spiritual forces at work, as we see the state of this world, it can be scary.

We can be filled with fear and we can wonder, what is the outcome of this war?

Where is all of this heading?

Well, today, God is saying to us, I can guarantee you where all of this is heading.

I am going to win this war.

History ends with the victory of the church.

Because that's also what's going on in this passage in Isaiah.

God's people are in the midst of war.

God's very kingdom is on the line.

And things just seem impossible.

And it seems like the church is actually about to come to an end.

And the question is, where is all this heading?

Is God going to lose this world?

And in fact, this passage even has that most common command of the Bible.

Look at verse 4.

Be careful, be quiet, do not fear.

This passage is all about God addressing our fears in the war zone.

But this passage also contains a very familiar Christmas verse.

Did you spot it?

Verse 14.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.

This verse is directly quoted in Matthew 1, when Joseph is told Mary will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

In fact, turn there with me now, page 807.

Keep a finger in Isaiah 7.

But turn to page 807.

Matthew chapter 1.

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

And just look at verse 22.

Matthew, all this took place.

All this, Jesus being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary.

Matthew says all this took place to fulfill this verse here in Isaiah 7.

And today, I want us to see why.

I want us to see how exactly Jesus' birth and the command not to fear in this war zone,

I want to see how they're linked.

When Matthew quotes Isaiah here, it's kind of like a hyperlink on a website, you know?

So you know when you get an email, let's say, and it says, click here to find out more,

and it's kind of blue and bold and underlined, right?

And you can click on those words, and then it pops up a new window,

and it opens kind of like a whole new page of information.

Well, that's like Matthew 1.

Today, I want us to click on the hyperlink of verse 23,

and it opens up the page of Isaiah 7.

And I want us to see how exactly Jesus fulfills this verse.

Because if we do, we will see Jesus doesn't only fulfill this

only because of the Virgin Mary,

and not only because he is God with us,

but also because his birth is God saying to a world at war,

to us scared about where all this is heading,

this is God saying, do not fear.

And so this evening is the first of our Advent sermons,

but it's really kind of the Advent to Advent,

the build-up to the build-up,

the story behind the prophecy.

And so let's click on that hyperlink now.

And the first thing to see is this.

The world is at war.

So turn back to Isaiah 7.

Isaiah 7.

This Christmas prophecy, it comes in a time of war.

So look at verse 1.

Ahaz is king in Jerusalem.

That's in Judah in the south.

That's where God's king rules from.

But Jerusalem is under threat.

So the northern kingdom of Israel have teamed up with Syria,

and they want to wage war with Judah.

So look at verse 2.

Syria is in league with Ephraim.

That's Israel, the northern kingdom.

This is kind of like your worst enemy

and your own brother teaming up against you.

And what are they trying to do, verse 6?

They've been saying,

let us go up against Judah and terrify it.

And let us conquer it for ourselves

and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it.

They want to invade, take over, destroy,

get rid of God's king

and set a new foreign king on the throne.

And how have God's people been feeling?

Verse 2.

The heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook.

That's the trees of the forest.

They're shaking in their boots.

It looks like the end.

Everyone is against them.

Everyone is against God.

That this world is just going off the rails around them.

And it looks like all of God's plans are about to fail.

Because if these enemies come in and kill and replace the king,

what happens to God's promise of a kingdom?

It's ended.

Kids, you thought about this earlier.

You can't have a kingdom without a king.

God's rule in this world,

the protection over his people,

his promise to save the world through a king,

it feels like all those promises

are just about to be wiped out.

And so we need to realise

that this is not simply a political war going on here.

This is the spiritual war in action.

This is Satan, through Israel and through Syria,

trying to win the spiritual war.

Trying to destroy God's kingdom and his king.

Just like we've seen in Genesis,

Satan tries to stop salvation,

stop God restoring this world,

but by going after God's chosen family.

Well, this is Satan going after the royal family.

As with any war,

this spiritual war,

it's a battle of kings.

And so if you take out God's king,

just like in chess,

you take out the king,

game over.

And it looks like that's about to happen here.

It's like they're faced with the impossible.

A terrifying future where God doesn't win in their lives.

And that's like how we can feel, isn't it?

We see all the forces against God,

against his church,

piling up against us.

All this godlessness flourishing around us,

and we can fear,

where is this world heading?

All the pressure against our faith at work,

and at school,

even in our families,

all that pressure just not relenting.

And we can fear,

where is the church heading?

And our hearts are at war, aren't they?

We feel like we just want to give in.

All those things inside us,

that pull us away from God.

And we can fear,

where is my heart heading?

And we're scared because we wonder,

can God even do anything about this?

Is he really in control of this world,

of my life?

And that's spiritual war.

It's happening here on the global stage,

here in Judah.

But what does God say to Ahaz, verse 4?

Be careful.

Be quiet.

Do not fear.

And do not let your heart be faint

because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands.

While the world is on fire,

God says,

relax.

Calm down.

Do not fear.

Why?

Because those threats,

those two nations that you see,

they're just two smouldering stumps.

So you know when you make a fire,

you ever made a fire?

And you let it burn down.

And after a few hours,

what do you get?

You kind of get these faintly glowing lumps of wood.

And you know,

as you see those kind of slightly glowing lumps,

you know you can't relight that.

There's no life in it.

It's just going to die soon.

Well, that's Israel and Syria.

It looks big and scary,

but God is going to kill that fire.

Look at verse 7.

It shall not stand.

And it shall not come to pass.

Syria and Israel,

your enemies,

they're going to be extinguished.

I'm in control of all of this.

In this spiritual war,

I am the one who wins.

And that is what happens.

Israel and Syria both get invaded,

brought into exile,

and those nations are put out.

And so God says,

do not fear.

But it's one thing saying that.

It's another thing showing us

why we don't need to fear.

So imagine you're up a tall ladder

and it feels sketchy and wobbly at the top.

And someone below just shouts to you,

relax, don't worry.

You hear that.

That alone is pretty useless.

Maybe I should worry.

Maybe I am going to fall.

But if you look down the ladder

and that person is holding the ladder

and they're saying,

don't worry,

I've got you,

well, that's an entirely different situation.

That's a sign

that I really don't need to worry.

Well, as the kingdom feels wobbly,

that the fate of God's people feels sketchy

and it looks like God's promises

are about to fall,

God says to King Ahaz,

look down the ladder.

I'm going to give you a sign

to show you

that you don't need to fear.

A sign showing you

that the enemies of this world,

all these spiritual forces

behind the curtain,

will not win

and my kingdom will come.

And what is that sign?

Verse 14.

Therefore, the Lord himself

will give you a sign.

Behold,

the virgin shall conceive

and bear a son

and shall call his name Emmanuel.

Here's why you don't need to fear

in this war zone.

Here's why my kingdom will come.

Here's why the fears

of all this world

are about to end

because God has given a sign

that he's holding the ladder.

He's in control

and that sign

is the miraculous birth

of a son.

And this is my next point.

The virgin birth

is God's sign

not to fear.

The virgin birth

is God's sign

not to fear.

I want

to look closely

at what God promises

here in this verse.

And I want us to see

why this sign

is the reason

you don't need to fear

in this world.

So look what God says.

Behold.

It's like God saying,

just watch.

You're scared

about your future.

You think,

I can't do anything

about this world.

You think this is the end

of the line

for my kingdom?

Just watch.

And watch what?

What's coming?

A son.

The big threat

has been,

what if God's

royal line ends?

God promised a king

to come from the line

of David

to rule the world.

But what if these enemies

actually come in

and end that line?

God's rule ends.

The war is lost.

The world is lost.

Satan wins.

But what does God say?

Just watch.

Behold.

I'm going to bring

a son.

And this is the son.

This son is the king

to end this war.

And who will that son

come from?

Behold.

The virgin shall conceive

and bear a son.

God is saying,

even if Satan

ends this line,

Ahaz,

even if you die,

do you think

that that can stop me?

Do you think

I'm dependent

on you

for my plans?

Do you think

you're the one

in control here?

No.

Even if you die,

Ahaz,

I can even

raise up a king

from a virgin.

Syria.

Kings.

Satan himself

cannot stop me.

I am bringing

my king.

And how he arrives

from a virgin,

this is the sign

of my power

in this world.

I can do the impossible.

But this won't be

any old king,

not just any old son.

What will he be called?

She shall call

his name

Immanuel.

Now,

the word Immanuel

literally means

in Hebrew

with us God.

I'm going to give you

a quick Hebrew lesson.

Imah,

that means with.

Nu

means us.

El

means God.

Put that together.

With us God.

God with us.

This son

is going to be

God himself.

Come to his people

to rule them

and protect them

and bring victory

over the forces

of darkness

in this world.

God himself

bringing his own kingdom.

God is saying here

as you look

at your fear-filled lives,

as you look

at this war zone

and the evil

in this world

and the battle

in your hearts

and you wonder

if God can do

anything about

this,

here's the sign,

here's the proof

that I can.

It's a son,

a boy

and when you

see this boy

you can know

I'm in complete

control.

I'm holding

the ladder,

the future

of my people

is certain

and I will

win this war.

That is what

God is promising

here.

And so,

if we follow

the hyperlink

back to Matthew,

it gives an even

deeper meaning

to Jesus'

conception.

As Jesus

first appears

in the womb

of Mary,

that little speck,

as the nine-month

wait to his birth

begins,

that little boy

growing in her womb,

that son,

is the guarantee

of God's victory

in this world.

That son

is the one

to end all fears

in this world.

And that is

exactly who we find

in the Lord Jesus.

as you look

back to that

birth,

that son,

we can say,

behold,

this is the

son,

the king,

to end the war

of this world.

The child

who came

to guarantee

God's victory

in the war zone,

to defeat evil,

to defeat the devil

and end even

death itself,

to bring God's

perfect kingdom

into this world.

And that is what

Jesus has done.

on the cross,

bearing the guilt

of his people,

the Lamb of God,

taking away

the sin of the world,

bearing the curse

of creation

upon his brow,

and in doing so,

disarming the devil,

taking all power

from the evil one.

And three days later,

rising from the dead

in victory

over death,

and now

enthroned as king

with complete control

over creation,

sitting in victory

over this war.

That is who

the Lord Jesus is.

The sign

of God's victory

in this world.

And that's what's

going on

in creation

right now.

Like Judah,

we can feel

the threats

all around us.

Like we're in

a losing battle.

Like it is just

getting harder

and harder

to be a Christian.

Like the whole world

is up against us.

It's not easy

at work,

it's not comfortable

at school,

I'm not looking

forward to the

family gathering

at Christmas.

Like Judah,

it feels like

we're losing

this spiritual war.

You see the decline

of the church

in the UK

like it's fizzling out,

you see godlessness

becoming normal,

and it feels like

just Satan's winning

this spiritual war.

We feel that

in our hearts

as our faith

feels fragile

and thin,

and it feels like

sin has the real

power in my heart.

And we are just

scared about

what lies ahead,

and we wonder

how can the church

even survive?

How can I survive?

That is what it

feels like.

But what is the

reality?

God says,

look.

Behold.

Look back

to this son,

his birth,

his work,

all that he has done,

this son is God's side.

He's proof

that God has

victory in this war.

He's now

already sat

in victory

over this war.

Yes,

battles rage

down here,

but with the

coming of Christ,

the war

has now been won.

All that is

going on

in this world

is actually

just a losing

battle for Satan.

he cannot

kill the church.

For those

who belong

to Christ,

he cannot

snatch you

out of the

Father's hand.

He's not

in control

of your future.

No,

God is in

control of

Satan's future.

Satan

and evil

and even

death,

they are like

smouldering

stumps in this

world.

They're still

there,

but they're

going to be

utterly

extinguished

soon.

And so

God says

to his

people,

you don't

need to

fear about

your future.

You don't

need to

fear about

the battle

that lies

ahead,

because I'm

in control.

I am the

one who

wins in

your life,

and how

do you

know,

well,

behold,

my son.

This is

the sign,

the proof.

you can

look back

to the

birth of

Christ,

and know

that is

God's

sign,

guaranteeing

my future.

But this

victory,

it's also

related to

this son

being from

a virgin.

Have you

ever wondered

why a

virgin birth

is promised

here?

Why this

is so key

to the

Christian faith?

We even

confessed it

this morning

in the

Apostles'

Creed.

We said,

I believe

in Jesus

Christ,

who was

conceived

by the

Holy Spirit,

born of

the

Virgin Mary.

Why,

of all

things,

why is

the

virgin

birth

a sign,

proof,

that God

will win

this war?

Well,

it's because

it's key

to how

God wins

this war.

Because what

does it take

to win

this spiritual

war?

Our sins

need to be

paid for.

We need

a sinless

human,

a sinless

son,

to bear

our sin

for us.

But what

is the

problem

with how

every

human,

every

son,

is usually

born in

this world?

When anyone

is born

naturally in

this world,

we are born

in sin.

I won't do

the birds and

the bees for

you,

but when a

father and a

mother have a

child in this

world,

that is two

sinners producing

another sinner in

this world.

we all

inherit the

sinful nature

of our

parents.

But,

what if you

have a

child not

conceived

naturally,

but

supernaturally?

Not by

two sinners

coming together,

but by the

Holy Spirit

creating something

new.

What will

that child

be like?

he will

be

sinless.

Still a

man,

but he

wouldn't

inherit that

sin that we

are all born

into.

And that is

key to God's

victory in

this world.

We see

evil all

around us.

It feels

like sin

has the

power in

this world,

but as that

sinless child

appears in

that womb,

that is God

breaking the

power of

evil in

this world.

With

every pure

thought he

had,

with every

righteous act

of obedience,

with all

that love

in his heart

that he

had for

his father,

that was

the Lord

ensuring

victory for

his church.

It is

through the

sinless Christ

that is how

God wins

this war.

Satan tries

to accuse

us of all

that we've

done wrong.

He tries

to bring up

all our sin

before God,

And so

how do I

know Satan

won't win

that court

case?

How do I

know I'm

truly accepted

before God

and that my

sin isn't

what defines

me anymore?

Why do I

not have to

fear about

that?

What's the

sign?

What's the

proof?

Behold,

look to the

virgin birth.

That is God's

sign for you.

that is your

sinless

saviour.

God has

brought victory

in this world

and it's

through the

virgin birth.

And it's

through this

son being

Emmanuel.

In the

womb of the

Virgin Mary,

that little

speck,

that is God

taking on

human flesh

to be with

his people,

to dwell

with us.

and that

is key

to how

God brings

victory into

this world.

Because how

did this war

start?

Where did

all this

evil and

fear and

threat and

all these

enemies come

from?

It all

stems from

us not

being with

God.

We walked

away from

God in

that garden.

He cast

us out of

his presence

and that

was the

beginning of

the war.

And salvation

and victory

in this

spiritual war

has always

been found

by coming

back into

God's

presence.

It's there

in the

tabernacle.

It's there

in the

temple.

That is

where humanity

always finds

restoration and

safety in

this war.

And here,

in the

birth of

Christ,

the

restoration

has come.

God

with us.

God

is the

promise here

in Isaiah

is the

advent of

God making

this world

right again.

And God

is saying,

I'm ending

this war

by being

with you.

And this

is why God

says to his

people,

do not

fear.

In this

sketchy

world,

and everything

seems against

God,

and it feels

like we're

about to

fall,

and the

church just

feels wobbly,

God says,

here's the

sign.

Here's the

proof that

I'm in

control,

and holding

the ladder,

look to

the virgin

birth.

Look to

Emmanuel.

Do not

fear.

I'm with

you.

And for

those in

Christ,

that goes

for everything

in your

life.

You may

fear where

the world

is heading,

or where

your faith

is heading,

or where

the church

is heading,

but you

also may

just be

fearing what

lies ahead

this week.

That

meeting,

that phone

call,

just the

unknown,

and it

feels like

threats all

around.

Well,

God says

to you,

do not

fear.

Look to

the virgin

birth,

look to

Emmanuel,

I'm with

you.

And if

you're here

tonight,

and you're

scared about

where this

world is

heading,

and you've

come here

just looking

for answers,

God says,

you can

actually know

the future.

You can

know where

all of this

is going to

end up.

He's given

you a sign,

proof.

Behold,

look at the

birth of

his son.

History is

going to end

with God

winning.

And not

only that,

trust in

him and

your future

becomes

secure.

people,

you get

to share

in the

victory in

this world.

History

ends with

the church

winning.

Christ has

come to

end the

fears of

this world,

to guarantee

the future

of this

world.

Trust in

him and

you will

have nothing

to fear.

Let's

pray.

God

to

to

to

have

to

have

to

have