Surprising Promise

Well hello and good morning. Good morning. Good morning balcony. Woo, balcony. Hey, how about Jim Fortunato? He's like the coolest guy on the planet. I love him. And the choir. That was super cool. Well, we are so glad that you are with us. My name is Mark and I want to welcome all of you here live, joining us on the live stream. And I want to wish you a merry Christmas in advance of the big day coming. I really do hope that the days ahead really feel you with joy. With much joy.

And along the lines of Christmas, let me ask you, a show of hands, when it comes to Christmas gifts, how many of you enjoy being surprised? We're not so sure. Okay, that's because it's like you're happy if it's something really good. It's a good surprise, but it could not. It could just be socks. We don't want any more socks. Okay, when it comes to Christmas guests, do you also like being surprised? No, very few, like a couple of super extroverts.

We have a dear family friend, and we've spent a couple of holidays with her and her husband and family. And, man, it is like the more the merrier. It is like the mailman and some guy from the grocery store, you know, go pick up milk. Hey, come on, we've got parties at my house, because it's just an extrovert's dream when you're just in a room with all sorts of people that you've never met before, but you have the opportunity to do that.

Or final question, when it comes to life in general, how many of you enjoy being surprised? Wow, intrepid souls, because I think most of us don't like being surprised by things in life, especially when they are unwelcome surprises. And there is a reason for this. I read an article this week. A guy named Dr. Nicholas Carlton, he is the scientific director for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment. That's quite a job title.

He's published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, and a couple of years ago, one of them had to do with a study exploring the fundamental basis of anxiety. And the study identified the one fear that really rules over all others. It's like the one fear to rule them all. And you kind of know what it is? It is fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown, because you take any kind of stressful situation and when you have no idea how it's going to unfold, how it's going to resolve, you know, it fills your head with all sorts of anxious thoughts, floods your imaginations with this could happen, that could happen.

And all of this provides much fuel for fear and anxiety. And just like we saw last week, right? The surprising news that came to Joseph that Mary had conceived a child, that wasn't exactly a welcome moment in his life, was it? Actually threw him into somewhat of a crisis because he's wondering, you know, how will this impact his reputation, Mary's reputation? Will this cause a deep rift between their families? Because in those days, marriage was a very formal contract between these families and in these cultures. So this is a big deal.

And in this small town of Nazareth, where everybody kind of knows everybody and talks about everybody, what will this mean for Joseph and Mary? Will they be ostracized by everyone else? They don't know. And so the angel Gabriel appears to Joseph and tells him, "Do not be afraid," key phrase there, "to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived of her is from the Holy Spirit." Do not be afraid. It's a prevailing theme through the Christmas stories, especially Matthew's.

It's one occasion for fear after the other, and we'll see another occasion for that even next week. But for now, bear in mind that these assuring words that come to Matthew come in the form of a dream. So you think there's just a little room for doubt in Joseph's mind? A dream? Really? I'm supposed to kind of, like, you know, trust that? On the other hand, the same angel, Gabriel, he appears to Mary in person.

Gabriel, one of two angels mentioned in the Bible, he's like at the top of the org charge. Gabriel says in Luke's Gospel that he stands in the presence of God, which makes him one of the most extraordinary creatures in the entire universe. That's Gabriel, and he appears to Mary live and in person. Joseph, hmm, kind of like seeing him on video, you know? A dream? Really?

But before we even know how Joseph will respond, Matthew interrupts his story and drops in verses 22 and 23 of his first chapter. These are very familiar words if you've ever read through the Christmas stories, perhaps some of the most familiar to the story when it says, "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 his son, and they will call him," what? "Emmanuel," which means God with us.

Now, why does Matthew do this? Why does he interrupt his story and insert these words here? Well, have you ever read like an article online especially, and then they'll be usually highlighted in blue or something? A link to another story that's related gives you the back story. It's a hyperlink, and apparently Matthew invented this because this is what he does in his Christmas story.

He invents...he inserts this link, and this link, if we click on it, is going to take us over 700 years earlier than the Christmas story to give us kind of the back story, if you will. And so let's just cooperate with Matthew, and we're going to kind of go in the way back machine over seven centuries to a promise, a surprising promise, that reminds us, even when you do not know the answer, you don't know how it's all going to unfold, do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid, because God knows exactly what's going on. In fact, God has promised to work all things, not just some things, but all things, the good, the bad, the ugly, the scary, for our good and for His glory. And we're going to see a demonstration of that. So again, I'm going to take you to a passage that's probably not too familiar, lots of unfamiliar names. I may pronounce them correctly, I may not, but just hang in there, because this is an astonishing back story.

It's the promise of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:1–14. Here's how the story begins. It says, "When Ahaz, son of Jotham, the son of Aziah, was king of Judah." Now, let's hit pause there for a second, because we saw these guys before. They're right in the middle of the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. And you might remember, if you were with us two weeks ago, there's also, uncharacteristically, a number of women that were also mentioned in the lineage of Jesus.

And as René pointed out, they had somewhat colorful stories of their own. But let me tell you something, they got nothing on the guys, okay? These guys, for one, unlike the women, they actually had agency. The women in these stories had next to no agency, but these three men are of the royal house of David. They're kings. They do whatever they want. Isaiah, for the most part, was a very good king. He ruled for over 50 years, and his legacy was he really built up the defenses around Jerusalem, and they're kind of really tuned up their army.

His son Jotham didn't rule as long, but he was, for the most part, kind of left the kingdom as good as he found it, at least. But Ahaz, Ahaz was a wicked king. Ahaz worshipped idols and even sacrificed some of his own children to the false gods of the Canaanites, the neighboring people around them. So when Ahaz was king of Judah, king Rezen of Syria and Pekah son of Ramaliah, king of Israel, marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

Now, quick note, depending on the translation, sometimes Syria is called Aram, and sometimes Israel is called Ephraim. It gets really confusing, and so I just kind of made it consistent. You can see in italics in the notes where I did this, and hopefully that kind of gets us to the main thing. But here's the setup. Under the original kingdom that David was king over, it was one kingdom of Israel, but then there was civil war after his son Solomon, and it divided into the north Israel, and then the south Judah. This is where Ahaz is.

Judah, excuse me, Israel is going to conspire with Syria or Aram on this map here, and they are going to decide to attack again. And here's the thing. Just when the threat is over, the kings of Syria and Israel decide to double down, not satisfied that they did not conquer Jerusalem. So verse 2, "Now the house of David was told, Syria has allied itself with Israel," again, "so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind."

A little more backstory. Here's what's going on. Isaiah compresses a rather long story into just a couple verses, but if you read in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the first campaign was quite involved. The northern kings came down, conquered most of Judah, and even though they couldn't conquer Jerusalem, they haul off thousands, hundreds of thousands of people killing them. Even Ahaz was killed, and when they get back up to the north, one of their prophets says, "You can't do this. We're all relatives here." And so these northern kings go, "Okay, we should probably let them go back." And so they do, only to change their mind.

Like, "Hmm, maybe we were just being a little too nice. Let's try again and capture Jerusalem." So it is no wonder that the news of this alliance has Ahaz and the people of Judah shaking like trees in the wind. And now before we go on with the rest of their story, let me ask you to think about your own story. In fact, I encourage you to think about this first question. What do I fear? What do you fear? What comes to mind? Is it recurring fear? Is it a new fear because of some new circumstance that's emerged in your life?

You know, I was reflecting on this, and I think I could say that during the first half of my life, I really lived what you'd call a charmed life. I mean, I've been so blessed, family, stability, opportunities, and I remember thinking right around my mid to late 20s, "You know, this can't go on forever." You know, everybody experiences pain. Nobody gets a pass, and I'm observing this all around me, and I realize there will come a day when the other shoe is going to drop. And that was somewhat of a recurring fear because I just knew it was a matter of time.

Second half of my life, not so much of a fear. Why not? Because the other shoes have dropped more than once. And so I've experienced some loss, some pain, but what I've learned in the midst of those times, firsthand and on a very deep level, is that God is faithful. In fact, you experience God's presence in the midst of trial in a way that's commensurate with the need. When the sun shines and the birds are singing, you hear it kind of like, "Hey, I'm just skipping along through life." But then when you are down, God shows up in a remarkable, sweet, powerful way.

And so I know there will be other trials ahead in my life, but I also know God will meet me each step of the way. But how about you? Is it possible that despite knowing the same thing I just shared, there's still something that's shaking you? Something that just keeps coming back is an abiding fear. And you know this image of the fear, fear being like the wind that shakes the trees of the forest, it really reminds me of what I've observed up at our Camp Hammer property right next to Big Basin State Park since the CZU lightning complex fire.

Because the fire thinned out the canopy, right? And now the trees are feeling the wind more powerfully than they ever have before. And even perfectly healthy trees that weren't touched by fire, some of those, they lose limbs, they've even fallen over because they are now more exposed because of the trauma that just took place a couple years ago. And so for some of us, the same thing can be true. Past hurts expose us in a way that can touch upon our fears in the here and now. And that's Ahaz and his people. They feel more exposed than ever.

They've got this PTSD, you might say. And so just like it is with them, the same is true for us. Ultimately, you have to make a choice. You have to make a choice, will I be controlled by my fears or will I be consoled by my faith? Will I look back and will I rely on God's faithfulness or will I be just so caught up in fear that I can't even think about that and I kind of suffer from short-term memory, you might say.

In other words, the question, the next question I would encourage us all to ask today is when it comes to fears, how do I respond? How do I respond to my fears? Is there a pattern? Is there a tendency? Just generally speaking, do I meditate on my fears? Am I just kind of a chronic worrier? For others, it could be the coping mechanism is to medicate your fears. Try to numb or distract yourself, food, drink, spending, whatever, something that distracts me.

Others, we resort to control, right? I try to control the circumstances, I try to control the people around me to do the things that I want them to do. Even if I know I'm kind of crossing a line, I'm willing to take the short-term gain in exchange for the long-term pain. And this third strategy, control, that's what Ahaz does. In response to this renewed threat, if we go to 2 Kings 16, which again is the broader story, it says, "Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria," that's the superpower of the day, not to be confused with Syria, "of Syria, 'I am your servant and vassal,' he says. 'Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Assyria and the king of Israel who are attacking me. Come up and save me?'"

I thought that was God's job to save us. But Ahaz, you know, he wants power that he can see. He wants power that he can measure. He wants certainty in the midst of his fears. And we can all identify with that from our own experience, can't we? And I want you all to know this. Ahaz going way back, this started not with an attack from the north. This started with a pattern of worship in his life, a pattern of worshiping idols.

And so he makes another idol out of the king of Assyria. But with these ordinary idols that he'd been worshiping for years, they're just made out of wood or metal. They have no intrinsic power of their own. The only power that they have is the power that we give them when we allow them to take the place of God in our lives. For example, again, take food, money, pleasure, drink, whatever it is. Good servant, terrible master, terrible master.

Because when you invest these things with power, the tables turn and you become their servant, their slave. And the grip, as we know, can be really, really tight. So it's no small question to ask. In the face of my fears, how do I respond? Honestly, what's my pattern? Is it a healthy response? Is it hurtful response? And whatever my response is, whether it draws me closer to the Lord or further from the Lord, it really hinges on this next question, which is this. Who do I listen to? Who do I listen to? Who has my ear?

And I love this part of the story because even though Ahaz, he's weak and he's wicked, God still reaches out to him. God is still gracious towards him. And picking up the story in Isaiah 7:3, it says, "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.'" Now, Shear-Jashub means a remnant will remain. So I like to think he's... The only reason he's there is because he's like a walking billboard for Ahaz. "A remnant will remain." That's why Dad brought me to work today.

And Ahaz is at this upper pool of the aqueduct because he likely thinks that if the city comes under siege, the first thing these attacking kings are going to do is cut off the water supply. So he's checking this out. He's worried about this impending doom. But look what God tells Isaiah to say. "Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm, and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood.'" God doesn't think too highly of these kings from the north. Like, you know, their power's on the wane.

And basically he says, "Hey, Ahaz, keep calm and carry on. Hey, I got you." And the problem is God is not the only one who has Ahaz's ear. "Syria and Israel have plotted your ruin, saying, 'Let us invade Judah and let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves and make the son of Tabil king over.'" Who's this guy? Well, he's someone that they want to install as a puppet king after they tear Judah apart. And on one hand, that's a very menacing threat. But on the other hand, in saying this, they have basically picked a much bigger fight.

Because who was it who promised David, "I will establish your throne forever"? God did. When in doubt, just say God in church. It's usually the answer. I'll give you another chance. Who said that through his lineage, there would ultimately be a king who, again, whose kingdom would reign forever? Who promised that? God did. Very good. You get an A today. And so get this. These kings of Syria and Israel think, they have the audacity to think that they can derail the promise and plan of God, a promise they're well aware of because that's why Ahaz is sitting on the throne. He's a descendant of David.

And yet these guys think, "Yeah, we're just going to kind of change the course of history here. Good luck." Because God has something to say about that. Verse 7. I love this. Yet this is what the sovereign Lord says. The guy who's been, you know, saying everything you have to say. This is what the sovereign Lord says. "It will not take place. It will not happen. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin." He's just a guy. He's a dude with a little chair he sits on. God's not threatened by him.

And within 65 years, Israel will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Israel is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Ramalaya's son. He's like, "Who is that? What's his name? I don't even know his name." He's a Ramalaya's son. The point is they're just men. They're just guys. Who will you listen to? And God's like, "Who are these punks that are occupying all this real estate in your brain rent-free?" Ahaz. Who are you listening to? He's like, "Ahaz. Just take a breath. Listen to me."

And these words are profound. "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." Can't have it both ways, Ahaz. You can't have a foot in the boat and a foot on the dock. It doesn't work that way. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. My friends, those are words to live by right there. Those are words to live by. And it all comes down to this question, "Who am I listening to?" Who gets the last word in my head?

And you know what? This is such a challenge in our day. I mean, think about it. We're here for, you know, an hour and change once a week to worship, to sit under the Lord's Word. But what about the rest of the week? Remember the Nielsen Company that used to do the TV ratings? Well, they still monitor media. And this is what they said just recently, according to the Nielsen Company, "American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading, or generally interacting with the media." Eleven hours a day of media that is either going to stoke our fears or numb our brains.

Who am I listening to? I don't know about you. I don't want, you know, Sean Hannity or Anderson Cooper being the primary voice in my brain. I want it to be Dan Green of KSBW. Okay, I'm just totally kidding. But if I had to choose, I think it would be Dan Green because he does animal stories at the end of the news, and he clearly enjoys that more than anything else. Twenty-eight minutes of blah, blah, blah, boring, bad, bad, bad, animal stories.

But again, kidding aside, who do you actually want speaking into your life? Whose voice will get priority? And again, this is a challenge. So let me just suggest one way that we can all move the needle. Sometimes we will print out these little perforated cards where we have memory verses on both sides, and you can turn them into little individual verse cards and, you know, tape them to your dashboard or put them on your desk at work or on your kitchen table. Just keep them out on the kitchen counter or something so that you are allowing God's voice to speak into your heart, your mind.

A number of these, again, are promises that God will be with us always. We've printed up more today. We don't have the fancy perforated ones, I don't think, anymore because we ran out. But we still have these. You can pull out some good old-fashioned scissors and turn them into cards, but use these as a way of kind of clawing back information that's actually going to encourage you and bolster your faith and inform your outlook on the rest of life.

Because when it comes to the unknowns, start by asking, "What do I fear?" And perhaps you can name that. "How do I typically respond?" "Who am I listening to?" And finally, here's the kicker. When it comes right down to it, "What do I think is too big for God?" You know, we wouldn't say it that way, but when we're in a state of panic, we're basically saying, "God, boy, you probably haven't seen a problem this big before." What is...and I don't mean to be glib because I know that we can be just seized by terrible news and uncertainty.

But again, God's not seized by it. He's not surprised. It's not too big for him. All Ahaz had to do was turn to God. Despite his past, God's just beckoning him, "Come, trust me. Just rely on the promise I made to your great, great, great grandfather." It would have saved Ahaz so much stress, so much regret, so much trouble. And watch this, starting at verse 10. Again, again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz. "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or the highest heights." It's like, man, sometimes in the Bible, someone will ask God for a sign. Here's God's own.

He's taking the initiative here going, "Hey, you ask me for a sign, and name it from the deepest depths to the highest heights. Allow me to show you how serious I am about being faithful to my promises." Wow, that's quite an offer. Wouldn't you think? But Ahaz said, "I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test." Now, it sounds kind of spiritual here, like, "For it would be for me to ask, presume upon you, to ask you for a sign." Bologna.

Ahaz has already decided where he will put his trust. He would rather put his faith in the king of Assyria than the king of heaven and earth. And he is resolute in this decision. And looking on, we just want to say, Ahaz, don't do it. God is throwing you a lifeline. But here's the crazy thing, and we all know this. In our sinful state, our fallen state, we don't want what God offers us. We don't want His gentle rule, His love, His grace in our lives, in our fallen state.

It's only when His grace melts our hearts and causes a crease, finds an opening, when we want to say, "Yes, God. Oh, yes. I want to put my faith and trust in you." But sadly, that's not Ahaz in this moment. And even though Ahaz gives up on God, God does not give up on His people. He does not give up on His promises. He does not give up on how He is going to redeem this world. And so watch this. It says, "Then Isaiah said, 'Here now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?'"

And by the way, this is plural language now. So Isaiah has opened up the conversation to the people, to the nation, and by extension to us. And watch this. Here it is. "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to his son and will call him Emmanuel." And now you know the rest of the story, don't you? Well, how amazing. Let's fast forward from this moment, about 735 years. Joseph wakes up from his dream. The words of Gabriel are still clear in his mind, "Do not be afraid." And so Joseph, well, you know the rest. He takes Mary as his wife, and she gives birth to his son. And Joseph names him Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us.

And here's the cool thing. Does God give a sign in this? Yes, but he gives more than a sign. He gives Himself. He doesn't just show us the way. He is the way. And this promise just kind of explodes in a manger in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. Wow. So as we wrap up today, let's take this promise to heart. Let's ask this final question. Ask yourself, "Where do I need to trust God is with me?" In the nitty-gritty of life, in the thing that you're challenged by right now, whether it's financial or your health or it's relational with your spouse, a child, a neighbor, whomever, "Where do I need to trust that God is with me?"

And that doesn't mean that it's all going to go the way you would write the script, but God is with you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will be faithful to the very end. Do you believe this church? Well, then good. Take heart. Be encouraged. Because He is with us in our weaknesses and with us in our sorrows. He is with us in our joys, our triumphs, and with us in our failure. He is with us even in our death, and we with Him in our resurrection, our glorification, and life forevermore. Do you trust this today? Then let's go to Him in prayer and with gratitude.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the marvelous ways that You work through the contours of people's lives and history and Your unfolding plan. We can't often discern it in our midst, and yet so many of us could look back right now on our lives and see Your fingerprints in various times and places and occasions, moments where You demonstrated Your faithfulness. And so here we are in this morning, Lord, and we thank You for the opportunity to be in Your presence. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your watchcare. Thank You for Your initiative.

It wasn't enough for You to pursue someone like Ahaz through the prophets and through the words of Scripture. You brought Your own self, Your Son, into our story, into our world. You are the with us God, Emmanuel. And so may You encourage comfort and embolden us, Lord, in our faith and our outlook today, regardless of our circumstances. We pray this knowing that You hear us in the name of Jesus Christ. And all God's people said, Amen. Amen.