Behold God’s Christmas Sign!

4th Sunday in Advent, 12/18/16
Isaiah 7:10-14


Behold God’s Christmas Sign!
I. A sign that calls for faith
II. A sign that identifies the Savior


In my opinion, Halloween is a close second to Christmas. Certainly not in spiritual significance. But in visual displays. It’s not so common for people to drive through neighborhoods looking at Halloween decorations, but it is for Christmas decorations. In fact, there are homes that are known for their annual displays. Some of them are utterly amazing, complete with music and lighting choreography. In some cul-de-sacs, every home has an outdoor display. On almost every street there’s something to see. Without a doubt, it’s the most visual season of the year.

And it’s much the same on the inside of most homes. Almost every home displays a decorated Christmas tree. Most homes are adorned with much more than a single tree. Some homes have Christmas decorations displayed in literally every room of the house. Everywhere you look, there’s something Christmas to see.

The same goes for our church. All around you on every wall of our church are Christmas decorations. Most notably here in the chancel area. The trees with their decorations and lights along with the poinsettias are a sight to behold.

It’s a time to open your eyes and behold. And that goes for your eyes of faith as well. On this 4th Sunday in Advent our worship theme encourages us to behold our Advent Lord Jesus. In this morning’s sermon text from Isaiah, the God of our salvation speaks about a sign—a sign that is good for us to behold as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth. Behold God’s Christmas sign! Join me as we do just that.

Part I.

If you are the parent of a child now or were at one point, no doubt you’ve seen sinful stubbornness. It’s all over your child’s face. You’ve told them to do something and they simply refuse. So, how do you deal with it? I recall how my dad dealt with it when he saw it in me. He lovingly but firmly spanked it right out of me and I learned my lesson. Today, most parents would put their child in a “time-out” or take away something the child enjoys.

In today’s sermon text from Isaiah, our God didn’t have a stubborn child on his hands; he had a stubborn adult king. King Ahaz was one of the worst kings in the history of the nation of Judah. He was the earthly leader of God’s people, a descendant of King David, but he was a rank unbeliever. And at a perilous time in Judah’s history when he desperately needed the Lord’s help, he refused to ask for it.

It was a time of political turmoil. The nation of Israel, directly north of Judah, and the nation of Aram, directly north of Israel, wanted Judah to join them in a war against Assyria, the next nation to the north. But Ahaz refused. Instead, he turned to Assyria for help, which would cost Judah dearly. That move caused Israel and Aram to declare war on Judah. Ahaz desperately needed help.

So the Lord sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz that he would take care of things. He informed Ahaz that within just a few decades these three nations would fade away. God would see to it. And, in order that Ahaz would know that God was serious about his promise, he told Ahaz, “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” Imagine that! The holy, all-powerful God telling you to ask for a sign that he would do as he promised. Wouldn’t you be quick to take up his offer?

But not Ahaz. Remember, Ahaz was a rank unbeliever. He had already decided he was not going to trust the Lord to help him. He was going to trust Assyria—a heathen nation of mere mortal humans. That’s ridiculous! But unbelief always is. We trust ourselves or someone else, but not the Lord. Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”

What’s so remarkable is what the Lord did next. He didn’t crush Ahaz as he deserved. He didn’t zap him with a lightning bolt. Instead, he does the unthinkable. He gives Ahaz a sign anyway. Isaiah declared, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” In effect, God told Ahaz that he raises nations up and he tears them down as he sees fit. For him, that’s not all that remarkable. He’s been doing it throughout history and he would do it for Ahaz.

What’s remarkable is what he would do for all people. He would establish an eternal kingdom through the virgin’s Son. That Son would be Immanuel—God with us. That Son would do for Ahaz and every other sinner what they needed most—he would be their Savior from sin. Tragically, Ahaz refused that sign. Praise be to God—you and I know and believe it! We’re ready to celebrate it next weekend—the birth of the virgin’s Son.

Behold God’s Christmas sign—a sign that calls for faith!

Ahaz’ response to God’s call for him to trust in the Lord stuns us. Why would he do such a thing? How foolish not to trust the Lord! Indeed, how foolish…and we do it every day. We shudder at what we face today—crime, pain, disease, the unstoppable onslaught of the aging process, the broken world we’re leaving to our children, the constant battle to make things right in our lives and never succeeding. I’m sure you could lengthen that list. We worry about the present and we worry just as much about the future. How will we make things turn out the way we want and hope? The answer is we can’t. To think that we control today and the future is an insult to the only One who does—our God. And in dealing with us for our failure to trust him to do just that, he doesn’t crush us like we deserve. Instead, he tells us to watch for a sign. A virgin birth. Immanuel—God with us. That Child lying in the manger is your Savior from sin. Immanuel came to live and die for you. God kept his promise to make everything perfect for us eternally. So let go of your worries and trust the Lord. Behold his Christmas sign—a sign that calls for faith.

Part II.

Quite often I hear people tell me that they received a sign from God. This or that happened or didn’t happen and they took that as sign from God. I’m always a little uneasy when I hear that because the Bible states that Satan works signs too—signs that deceive us. I’m much more comfortable hearing people state that the Lord works everything out for their good. In fact, that’s exactly what the Bible states.

However, when the Lord states that he is going to give people a sign, then look for it. You can absolutely count on it occurring. The sign of the virgin birth is the sign of our Savior.

There are versions of the Bible that translate the verse before us as, “A young woman will be with child.” It’s true that the Hebrew word can be translated as “young woman.” But that makes no sense. A young woman becoming pregnant isn’t a sign from God at all. It literally happens countless times every day, even in Bible times.

But when the impossible happens, now that’s a sign. You know your biology. Virgin births don’t occur. That’s not possible.

But all things are possible with the almighty God. What’s a greater miracle—to create all things out of nothing, to heal ten lepers, to raise yourself from the dead, or a virgin birth? You can’t rank them. They’re all impossible for us, but they all take the same almighty effort of our God. He speaks, he commands, he simply thinks or wills and it comes into being.

But recognize how essential this miracle is to our faith. Without a virgin birth Jesus is simply another sinful human being in a world full of sinful human beings. He might be remarkable among humans, but only human nonetheless. But his conception by the power of the Holy Spirit assures us that Jesus is Immanuel—true God with us. And since he is both God and man, he is our Savior from sin.

Behold God’s Christmas sign—a sign that identifies the Savior.

Ahaz receives the sign of a virgin birth, but he considers it unimportant, unwanted, useless. In today’s world, billions of people join him. They have the promise and the fulfillment of the virgin birth in the person and work of Jesus Christ, but they consider him unimportant, unwanted, useless. But his birth is a good excuse to get together with family members, enjoy good food, and exchange gifts. Do you realize how blessed you are to know Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy, as God’s sign of the Savior? How blessed you are to have the opportunity to bow at the manger next weekend and worship the newborn King! How blessed you are to know that the holy God will not punish you for your sins; but rather, your Savior suffered that punishment for you! How blessed you are to know that in all of life’s uncertainties and disappointments, your eternal bliss in heaven is guaranteed! Recall those blessings this week and throughout next weekend! Let your gratitude for those tremendous blessings show in the way you worship your Lord and by the way that you treat your fellow human beings! Behold God’s Christmas sign! Amen.