Immanuel: The Greatest Christmas Gift We Never Asked For

12.24.23 Isaiah 7:10–14

10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz again. He said, 11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.” 12 But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the LORD.” 13 So Isaiah said: Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.

Immanuel: The Greatest Christmas Gift We Never Asked For

Have you ever been through a near death experience? Such an experience can bring you to your knees and humble you very quickly. Think about what Ahaz and the kingdom of Judah had gone through prior to tonight’s text. 2 Chronicles 28 says,

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king . . . He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast idols for worshiping the Baals. 3 He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, . . . . . . Therefore the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. . . . 8 The Israelites took captive from their kinsmen two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.

As a result, earlier in chapter 7 Isaiah said that Ahaz and the people of Judah were shaking like trees in the wind. They had good reason to be. They weren’t seeking the Lord and deserved even worse. They deserved to be damned. They needed hope.

It’s hard to appreciate this whole thing called Christmas if we don’t see what kind of a predicament we are in, born in sin, born to die, under the wrath of God. Sickness, disease, wars and rumors of wars. We’ve earned it all. If you’re not scared, you should be, just like the people of Judah were.

But here’s the good news. After allowing many of the people of Judah to be conquered and put to death, God decided to do something unexpected, something gracious. He finally decided to spare Judah from Israel and Aram. Listen to these words He spoke to Ahaz just prior to this text. “Get control of yourself, and remain calm. Do not be afraid. Do not lose your courage because of these two stubs of smoldering torches. (That was northern Israel and Aram.) 7 This is what the LORD God says. Their plan shall not succeed. It shall not take place. . . . If you do not stand firm in faith, you will not stand at all.” There was only one problem with this. What faith? Ahaz had absolutely NO faith. But when God speaks, He does it in order to actually generate faith in Ahaz’ heart.

Maybe you’ve gotten yourself into a predicament by willingly ignoring God’s will and doing something you KNOW is wrong. Maybe you’ve lived an Ahaz-like life. Know this. God hasn’t given up on you yet, any more than He did with Ahaz. God still wants you here, just as much as Ahaz. He still has something to say to you, in hopes that His words of promise will generate peace and faith in your hearts this Christmas Eve.

“Do not fear.” The same words spoken to the shepherds on Christmas night. This isn’t some weakling talking. This is the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, who has shown power over sickness and death. Even though we hear the words, and we know who is talking to us, all sorts of things can rattle us, a big bill that is coming due, a late assignment, a failing grade, a war in the Middle East, an unwanted lump found on your body, an angry spouse . . . And then we worry about our worry, because of our lack of faith, fearing that God is angry at us for worrying so much. But that doesn’t keep God from trying! He keeps speaking to us in His Word. He keeps singing to us in our hymns. If He didn’t give up on Ahaz, even in spite of His awful sins, then He doesn’t give up on us either. He wants us to take heart and believe. He’s glad you are here tonight.