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[2736.94 --> 2738.76] Of what if and how come. |
[2738.76 --> 2740.76] And in the midst of all of that, |
[2740.88 --> 2743.48] this easily just becomes another season, |
[2743.66 --> 2744.68] another day, another week |
[2744.68 --> 2746.18] that we just need to get through. |
[2749.64 --> 2751.00] And if you're anywhere |
[2751.00 --> 2755.32] in those ranges of possibilities this morning, |
[2755.90 --> 2758.58] I want to take just a few minutes of our time |
[2758.58 --> 2763.54] and stoke the marvel of Christmas Day. |
[2764.78 --> 2766.42] All right, let's pause for a moment |
[2766.42 --> 2769.22] and to gander at the impossible, |
[2770.00 --> 2774.08] to lift the veil and to peer into the mystery. |
[2775.34 --> 2777.90] Now to do that, let me set the stage for you this morning. |
[2778.70 --> 2781.04] Whether or not you've been with us throughout Advent, |
[2781.54 --> 2783.64] that's the season leading up to Christmas, |
[2784.20 --> 2787.02] it won't matter as I'll give you the context here. |
[2787.82 --> 2791.10] We have been looking at the book of Isaiah, |
[2791.30 --> 2792.84] waiting with Isaiah. |
[2792.84 --> 2793.24] Isaiah. |
[2793.92 --> 2798.86] Now Isaiah is a prophet in the Jewish tradition |
[2798.86 --> 2800.94] to the people of Judah |
[2800.94 --> 2804.86] in the 8th century before Christ. |
[2805.78 --> 2808.32] He speaks the word of God to kings |
[2808.32 --> 2809.78] who have forgotten God. |
[2810.42 --> 2813.52] He speaks of the expectation of the Messiah, |
[2813.94 --> 2815.34] which means the anointed one, |
[2815.44 --> 2816.88] the true king, right? |
[2816.92 --> 2819.14] He brings a word from God to people |
[2819.14 --> 2821.88] as a division reigns in the land, |
[2821.88 --> 2823.72] as exile approaches, |
[2823.72 --> 2826.50] and as two major nation states |
[2826.50 --> 2829.34] loom large over Israel and Judah, |
[2829.48 --> 2832.72] the empire of Assyria and eventually Babylon. |
[2833.78 --> 2835.66] And where I want us to look this morning |
[2835.66 --> 2838.64] with Isaiah is in Isaiah 7. |
[2839.70 --> 2841.68] And we're going to jump into the story |
[2841.68 --> 2844.04] as King Ahaz, |
[2844.36 --> 2845.98] who's the king of Judah, |
[2845.98 --> 2847.50] has a choice to make. |
[2848.72 --> 2850.30] The background to this story |
[2850.30 --> 2852.18] is recorded for us in the Bible |
[2852.18 --> 2853.92] in 2 Kings 16. |
[2855.18 --> 2858.00] Northern Israel and Aram |
[2858.00 --> 2861.80] are threatening Judah and King Ahaz. |
[2862.34 --> 2864.60] They both want to pull Ahaz, |
[2865.00 --> 2866.04] the king of Judah, |
[2866.20 --> 2867.60] into an alliance |
[2867.60 --> 2870.90] because of the nearing and looming threat |
[2870.90 --> 2872.32] of the Assyrian Empire. |
[2872.32 --> 2875.46] Short of pulling him into an alliance, |
[2876.00 --> 2877.98] they could also topple the kingdom |
[2877.98 --> 2880.26] and annex it back. |
[2881.52 --> 2884.14] Now Ahaz instead decides |
[2884.14 --> 2885.52] he's going to approach |
[2885.52 --> 2888.12] the king of the Assyrian Empire |
[2888.12 --> 2889.66] and make a deal with him. |
[2890.90 --> 2893.28] Now, read between the lines |
[2893.28 --> 2894.36] in this story. |
[2895.52 --> 2895.64] Right? |
[2895.78 --> 2896.52] Simply put, |
[2896.92 --> 2899.40] Ahaz has a choice to make, |
[2899.40 --> 2901.36] and that choice isn't between |
[2901.36 --> 2903.64] Assyria on the one hand |
[2903.64 --> 2905.88] or Israel and Aram on the other. |
[2906.14 --> 2908.70] It's a choice between trusting God |
[2908.70 --> 2910.10] or not. |
[2912.26 --> 2913.70] And going to Assyria |
[2913.70 --> 2915.04] and making a deal with them, |
[2915.14 --> 2917.32] he took matters into his own hands |
[2917.32 --> 2920.18] and he ends up picking sides |
[2920.18 --> 2921.94] with what becomes an even greater threat |
[2921.94 --> 2923.06] to their destruction. |
[2924.52 --> 2925.64] Here's the problem |
[2925.64 --> 2926.92] that we step into. |
[2926.92 --> 2931.44] Ahaz is letting his perspective |
[2931.44 --> 2934.36] dictate reality. |
[2935.80 --> 2937.66] Ahaz is letting his perspective |
[2937.66 --> 2938.98] dictate reality. |
[2939.14 --> 2940.54] And from his point of view, |
[2941.02 --> 2943.22] the northern Israel and Aram |
[2943.22 --> 2944.84] are the major threat. |
[2945.70 --> 2947.18] But from God's point of view, |
[2947.48 --> 2948.22] those are nothing. |
[2948.64 --> 2949.46] It's not them. |
[2949.60 --> 2950.70] It's actually him. |
[2950.92 --> 2952.46] It's his heart. |
[2953.82 --> 2956.86] Ahaz missed the deeper reality |
[2956.86 --> 2958.48] of what was going on. |
[2959.56 --> 2960.68] Does that sound familiar? |
[2963.16 --> 2964.36] John Oswalt, |
[2964.48 --> 2966.30] who is a Bible scholar, |
[2967.04 --> 2968.62] is part of the translation team |
[2968.62 --> 2970.24] for the Bible version |
[2970.24 --> 2972.20] that we read here at Emmanuel. |
[2972.88 --> 2973.76] He writes, |
[2974.84 --> 2975.42] he says, |
[2975.54 --> 2977.10] we are always in danger |
[2977.10 --> 2978.64] of paying too much attention |
[2978.64 --> 2979.64] to the passing |
[2979.64 --> 2981.96] and paying too little attention |
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