"the Waiting Room" Series

“What Are you Waiting For?

Isaiah 7:13-14

So, we begin a new preaching series today, five messages leading up to Christmas and it all begins in a room like this one. This is a waiting room, actually, our doctors waiting room he has on his website because it basically looks like this all the time. Not because he doesn’t have any clients but because no one has to wait. If you go to a doctor’s office very often you are familiar with the waiting room and no one likes it. I take a book if I have to wait and I enjoy the book but I don’t enjoy the waiting. Waiting is hard for most of us. A lot of patience. We can even become irritated / upset because we have places to go and people to see and gifts to buy and gifts to wrap and food to cook and lights to hang and cards to write and do I need to go on?

In the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, we find this story. It is set in a very difficult time. This chapter has several messages. The first is concerning Ahaz and there is good news and bad news. Bad news first, Ahaz is king of Judah. There are good kings and there are bad kings in the Old Testament and Ahaz was on the naughty list. 3 armies had set out to attack Jerusalem. So, things were desperate for Ahaz and appeared to be (also) for Isaiah. Ahaz refuse not to ask God for help. So, Isaiah confronts Ahaz. Isaiah now has a chance here as a prophet to prove God’s word to be true. Make your request as deep as Sheol/grave or high as heaven. God has set no limits. He could ask for any kind of sign, anywhere, anytime. So, what would you ask for? The King said I refuse. Can you imagine? Ahaz was simply too busy for God. Busy working his poor people to death. Their patience was wearing thin. Isaiah says you know what – your actions are making God impatient as well. So, God takes over and says I will send a sign anyway and here it is. Isaiah 7:13-14.

So, here’s the sign but first this bit of explanation. The Hebrew word for this woman is almah. This word is emphasized again in Matthew’s gospel and this is what it means. This was a young girl who had never has a sexual experience. Matthew affirms she was in fact a virgin. Impossible? Not with God. Remember He created the first two people on the planet all by himself. He can certainly do it again. The child here described in Ahaz’s day by a normal birth was a sign of God’s presence with the people. A true savior would come at a later date – through a miracle – a virgin birth. And Matthew affirms that as a fact.

And on that day because of this prophecy, everything changed. This is the event that would change time. We would move from BC; before Christ to AD, in the year of the Lord. All mankind would now measure days/time based on the birth of Jesus., Muslim, Hindu, every religion, false or true, now measures time around the birth of Jesus. So this was around 700 years before the birth of Christ. 700 years but now God’s people knew their waiting was not in vain.

Now I don't know about you - but I'm Not a very good waiter. Anyone identify with me? Give me some love here. Some support. That’s part of the reason my favorite verse in the Bible is “those who wait on the Lord will mount up with wings as eagles.” It’s the founding verse for this church – Eagles landing. But here’s a twist on this word that you may not know about. We all know what it means to wait. Isaiah gives us this verse as well.

• First of all, those who wait on the Lord will find strength. Strength, they did not know they had.

• God often brings us His strength when we are in a difficult place. He renews our strength.

• The strength he gives us will last. He will renew it when necessary. You will have energy to run the race and have energy left to run again. Dr James Gills, founder of St Luke’s in Tarpon Springs has run nearly 50 marathons, six Double Iron Triathlons and 19 Ironman Triathlons. An Ironman triathlon is a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and then a literal marathon 26.2miles. To do a double marathon you swim 4.8 miles, then all of the 224 miles, on a bike and then run all of the 52.4 miles. The time limit for the race is 36 hours. God is able to give us strength we never imagined. You can walk through a tough situation and you will not give up or faint.