Setting the Tone for Jesus
(Isaiah 7:1-17, 8:1-4, 9:1-7).
1. A middle-aged, wealthy woman has a heart attack. While on the operating table she has a near death experience. She sees the angel at the gates and asks if this is it.
The angel says no, she has another 30-40 years to live. She recovers, and decides to stay in the hospital and have a face lift, liposuction, tummy tuck, hair dyed, etc. She figures since she's got another 30 or 40 years, she might as well make the most of it.
2. As she walks out of the hospital after the last operation she is immediately struck and killed by an ambulance.
3. When she arrives at the pearly gates, she sees the same angel and asks, "I thought you said I had another 30 or 40 years?"
"To tell you the truth," the angel replied..."I didn't recognize you." [adapted from haruth.com]
4. In our previous series in Isaiah 40-66, we covered chapter 53, perhaps the most important chapter in the Bible, for it predicts Jesus’ innocence, his unjust arrest, atoning death for our sins, his burial in a rich man’s grave, and his victorious resurrection. But there are some crucial prophecies about Jesus in the early part of Isaiah, as we shall see today. Isaiah is a key book.
Main Idea: Isaiah in 700 B.C. set the stage for what we believe as Christians today, a strong evidence for the truth of the Gospel and an encouragement to our faith.
I. Isaiah Previews the Virgin BIRTH of “God with Us” (Isaiah 7:1-17, 8:1-4).
These chapters highlight children, particularly sons and more particularly the Son of God.
A. Judah’s King Ahaz is AFRAID of Syria’s Alliance with Northern Israel (“Ephraim”) (1-2).
Ahaz had good reason to fear. War can do that.
Many times, God is silent in the midst of war; but when He speaks, He can be trusted; Ahaz was not wanting to hear from Him, for his heart was not right with the Lord.
B. Isaiah announces that these kingdoms will soon be CONQUERED (7:3-9).
Shear-Jashub means a remnant shall return; the name predicted the future of Judah…(3)
C. Isaiah commands Ahaz to ask for a sign, but he FEIGNS super spirituality (7:11-12).
Judah had already lost battles to these 2 kingdoms; Ahaz was trusting an alliance with Assyria.
Assyria was going to rise to be a super-power and conquer northern Israel, deporting its people; the Assyrians also intended to conquer Judah, but God supernaturally protected it during the days of Ahaz’ son, good King Hezekiah.
Many Christians like Ahaz when making decisions. Instead of consulting God first and weighing, many make their decision first and then ask God to bless their choice.
I’ve seen it with spouse, house, career, church, and politics. We must weigh the spiritual impact of our choices; not free agents, but supposed to be servants of Jesus Christ.
D. God says He Himself will give a sign, involving DOUBLE fulfillment (7:13-14).
Double/multiple fulfillments are common in Bible prophecy, but the last fulfillment is the most literal. The early fulfillments are not complete, often samplings of a much greater fulfillment.
Example would be Jesus’ Kingdom on earth for a brief time on the Mount of Transfiguration.
E. NEAR, less literal fulfillment: Before this child is a toddler, these kingdoms would be subdued (7: 15-17, 8:1-4).
This was relevant at the time. Isaiah spoke these words in about 734 BC. By 732 BC, both kings were dead, and Syria had been conquered by the Assyrians. In 722 B.C., Assyrian conquered and deported the northern Kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim.
In chapter 8, we see how this was less literally fulfilled with Maher-Shallal-Hashbaz.
We might guess that Isaiah’s first wife had died. He was marrying again, and this woman was a virgin. The time it took for him to marry, father a child, and for that child to begin talking was a sign that – by that time – Israel and Syria would no longer be a threat.
This son (Maher Shallal Hashbaz) was not Immanuel, for his name means, “Speeding to the plunder, hurrying to the spoil." Nor was Immanuel his title, for all of Israel is referred to as “Immanuel’s land” in 8:8.
F. The distant MORE literal fulfillment is virgin-born Jesus, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:21-23: “’She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
II. Isaiah Reveals Messiah’s NATURE and Rule (Isaiah 9:1-7).
A. The Messiah would be associated with GALILEE (1).
Darkness was looming over Galilee, first part of the northern kingdom to be conquered by the Assyrians, and an area where many gentiles lived; from this region, the light would emerge (1).
It is ironic that some of the best Christians can come from some of the worst backgrounds.
Right now, the Gospel is bringing light in dark places like Iran and India, while in places known for having the light – like the U.S. and the U.K., darkness is displacing the light.
We should never presume that the light of the Gospel is permanent and can be presumed upon.
This is a good reason why we should not tie the cross to the flag.
B. He would ENLIGHTEN the people and CONQUER all of Israel’s enemies (2-5).
Have you ever wondered why the Jews expected a Messiah to deliver them from their enemies?
They just did not understand the concept of one Messiah, two comings.
Basic Christian facts class: First as Lamb, second as Lion.
C. He will GOVERN ideally because He is like no one else: He is the Mighty God (6-7).
In contrast to a small remnant that would return to Judah, when Jesus reigns Israel will be expanded and become the leading country by far.
He is God, He is man. He is the father (source) of eternity.
D. Scripture sometimes DEFLATES time and doesn’t bother mentioning huge gaps.
Jesus two comings are sometimes COMBINED as though one.
The Millennium and ETERNAL State are sometimes combined as one.
Illustration: huge beach ball inflated; cannot touch both sides or hold. To God, the beachball is deflated. Time is the air.
We get the bullet points, but not the TIMETABLE.
E. The Messianic age is both now and NOT YET.
You and I are time travelers. We belong to a future Kingdom that has not yet arrived. We have had a taste of the future, but most of the world thinks we are out of our minds. We cannot forget the truth, or we will begin to act like those who know nothing but the present.
