This Baby Solves Everything • Isaiah 7:1-14
1:08:39 Teaching begins
Notes
Christmas is God fulfilling His promises to overcome fear, terror, conflict, and the treachery of men.
We’re looking at when He made one promise to a guy who didn’t want the promise. He wanted to do his own thing, which was, overcome fear, terror, conflict, and the treachery of men. But he wanted to do it his way.
He surely did not believe that if a baby would be born it would solve everything. Really?! He didn't believe because he wasn’t listening.
This baby solves everything because He is God With Us.
I’m reading in Isaiah 7.
1. The context for this prophecy is instability, great danger, and national fear.
A. Rezin is king of Aram, modern-day Syria, to the north of Judah. He is the main aggressor. He’s attacking because he put together a coalition of states to resist the king of Assyria. The northern kingdom of Israel agreed but Ahaz is looking to partner with Assyria, so now Rezin and Pekah are looking to take down Ahaz.
B. Pekah son of Remaliah seems to me to be a vile guy. I get this because God never refers to him by name, He always calls him the son of Remaliah. God shows him contempt: I will not even say his name, He is so vile.
C. God has nothing good to say about either of these guys. They are two smoldering firebrands—all smoke and no light.
D. But these two vile men are camping against Judah in fierce anger, they plan evil. They want to terrorise Judah and cause them a sickening dread. Let’s kill Ahaz and put the son of Tabeel on the throne, a real puppet. Then we’ll resist Assyria as a united front.
E. When Ahaz hears he’s afraid. They’re going to kill me. The whole people’s hearts are blown this way and that with fear and dread. They all are shaken.
2. The last thing Ahaz wants is God’s help, but God gives it to him anyway.
A. God sends Isaiah and his son to meet Ahaz at a place where Ahaz can look out over the camp of two nations who are out to get him, a fearsome sight.
B. God’s message is, “Take care and be calm.” Guard yourself and be quiet. Get a grip and don’t freak out.
C. What they’re planning here is not going to happen. They’re angry and talk tough but they’re actually on the way out. In 65 years they will not even exist as a people.
D. Then God encourages, and really, admonishes Ahaz: If you will not believe, you surely will not last.
1. Ahaz’s father Jotham and grandfather Uzziah believed God, obeyed God, and were greatly established by God.
2. Ahaz has never believed God and he has never obeyed God. He’s been unfaithful and stubborn. He only wants his way. He’s gone after idols, pagan rituals, even burning his sons in the fire to the god Molech, because these false gods promise that he’ll get what he wants. Peace, no bad luck, no attacks. Happiness.
3. None of those gods Ahaz trusted in have helped. Aram and Israel are camped outside his front door looking to kill him, loot the city, destroy everything. He would not believe God, he didn’t obey God, and he is not established, he’s coming apart.
E. God says I’ll prove to you I’m with you to help you: ask for any kind of a sign you want and I’ll do it. That’s a blank cheque to prove it’s really God and He is in control and won’t let those terrorists get you, to your own satisfaction.
3. Can you imagine? Ahaz will not ask God for a sign!
A. The reason why, is Ahaz doesn’t want to obey God.
1. If he asked for a sign and God answered, he would have to say, okay, God is there.
2. Then he would have to obey God, who is undeniably there. He does not want to obey God. So he says no, thank you.
B. When you believe, you obey. When you don’t obey, you don’t believe.
1. People don’t believe in God because they don’t want to obey Him. They don’t want God telling them what to do, and what they can’t do. I’m in charge!
2. It’s not an intellectual problem, that there isn’t enough evidence that there is a God. I’ve asked people, “If I prove to your satisfaction that there is a God, will you obey Him?” And they say, “No.”
3. It’s a problem of the will. It’s stubbornness, it’s refusing to submit to God.
C. In fact Ahaz tries to sound like he’s really obeying God. Deuteronomy 6:16 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. “Sorry, I can’t obey God because I’m obeying God and not putting Him to the test.”
D. When God specifically says, “Test Me,” then refusing Him is still disobeying Him. In the face of mercy, stubbornness is annoying, irritating, and provoking. Isaiah says, “Really? It’s not enough to exhaust men, but you want to exhaust God’s patience?”
4. Then God Himself gives a sign that Ahaz doesn’t want (read 7:14).
A. What do you think Ahaz thinks as Isaiah speaks God’s message? He’s never heard this before like we have. He has no Christmas associations in his mind, of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Ring-jing-jing-a-ling.
B. I’m sure Ahaz thought, “Really? I’ve got armies on my doorstep, political terrorism, I don’t know if we can survive, the whole nation is reeling in fear, and you say that some woman is going to have a baby and I’m supposed to believe that that will solve everything?”
C. The answer is, yes. This son solves everything because He is God With Us.
1. A virgin can’t have a son. This is unusual and impossible. There has to be a father in order to have a son.
2. The solution is that this son is the Son of God. Luke 1:35 The Holy Spirit will come upon the virgin, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
3. Therefore that son really is God With Us.
D. When God is with us, then we know once and for all, God is for us. You see this in Isaiah 8:9-10 “Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered; and give ear, all remote places of the earth. Gird yourselves, yet be shattered; gird yourselves, yet be shattered. Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not stand, for God is with us.”
1. All the peoples will be gathered together, even to the remote places of the earth. They will prepare themselves for war. They will devise a plan and state a proposal.
2. All this is against God. Those gathered peoples are not His peoples, this is not His war they prepare for, this is not His plan or proposal. This is against God and against His people Israel.
3. The peoples will be broken into pieces. The armies will be shattered, the plans will not succeed.
E. This virgin giving birth to this Son, God With Us, solves all the terror, all the attacks, all the darkness because Immanuel is for us.
5. So what?
A. This Christmas we see nearly all the nations opposing God’s people Israel. We see armies preparing to make war. There are plans and proposals to try and avoid war but also to destroy Israel.
B. We see what Ahaz saw: terrorism, fear, dread, and massive unbelief, widespread refusal to obey God.
C. This Christmas God says, “Take care and be calm. Have no fear and do not be fainthearted.” Jesus said the same thing, like this: John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
D. The Son of God, Immanuel, God With Us, has come to be God For You. You receive Him into your life and you obey Him. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. You know you believe Him when you obey Him. “Here I am, here is my life. What do You want? That’s what I want.”
E. If you will not believe, if you will not submit to Jesus, you will not be established. You are not God’s child, you plan against Him, you are fighting against Him. You will be broken in pieces and thwarted by God Himself. You can’t be established apart from Jesus in your life.
F. So if you really understand Christmas, receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord. And don’t be troubled by what you read, what you see, all the massive refusal to obey Jesus. We want to talk to people about Him and encourage them to receive Jesus before He comes and shatters everything and everybody. But we can have peace because God is with us and He is for us.
Let’s pray.