Intro: In a "Peanuts" cartoon strip, good old Charlie Brown says to Linus, "Life is just too much for me. I’ve been confused from the day I was born. I think the whole trouble is that we’re thrown into life too fast. We’re not really prepared." Linus asks, "What did you want . . . a chance to warm up first?"
The Advent season is supposed to be our chance to warm up. The word Advent means to await – we await the coming of the King, Jesus Christ. It’s that time to prepare our hearts and homes for the birth of the Christ child. It’s that time when we put all the decorations in their place, the presents are bought and wrapped, the cards sent out and received, and we get ready for Christmas Day. But if we aren’t careful the time of preparation will be over and the big day will be here and it will be just another day. We’ll finish opening all the gifts; the room will be strewn with scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon; the turkey or ham will have put up a valiant fight but be nothing but leftovers; and we’ll be parked in front of the TV watching one of the games. Then all of a sudden, that empty feeling will hit us. That feeling of "What’s the use?" That Charlie Brown feeling of there is something missing, as if we were thrown into Christmas too fast. That is when we’ll realize we needed time to warm up.
There are in actuality, 2 advents. One has already happened when Christ was born 2000 years ago and the 2nd is awaiting for His return when we will all be changed and we will live eternally with Christ in Heaven. I want us to see how this first advent or warming up to Christ coming started In the beginning.
Too often, we have the tendency to think that the beginning of life for Christ was in Bethlehem as Mary gave birth to him. We need to learn that the whole earth, the whole kingdom was actually preparing for this birth from the very beginning. We must understand that Christ was reigning with the Father from the very beginning.
It is important to understand that we do not merely celebrate the birth of a child who would one day take away the sin of the world, but it is actually God Himself who awakens in that manger. He stepped out of eternity and into time in order that you may believe and have eternal life. His story begins in Gen 1.
I. God’s gift to you comes from Eternity (Gen 1:26).
This passage comes at the end of the creation account. Up to this point God has created light/dark, earth (water and land), sun, and stars. He has created birds, fish, and on the 6th day He creates creatures that walk on the ground and then He created man. God saw that all of this was good, in fact, for many He said it was Very Good. It was good because God does not make mistakes.
We make mistakes, but God does not. Sometimes, we get down on ourselves because we think we are useless. But that cannot be true because God created us, we were created in His image, and He does not make mistakes. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is when most suicides take place. This time of the year is when Christians celebrate the Birth of Christ. Unfortunately, many people see nothing but their depression and/or anger and the pressure keeps building and building until they see no hope.
This text is the first clue that tells that God has a gift for you that He has planned to give you since the beginning of creation! Let’s unwrap this passage.
To have the proper view of God, I must understand the Old Testament view of the Trinity.
A. Let us make man in our image. Have you ever noticed that use of the plural language in this text? God is not alone in the creation account. Who could He be talking to? It cannot be angles because we are not created in the image of angles; Angles are created beings. We are created in the image of God.
Some have said that this is a style of writing called the “plural of majesty.” This is where a king may say, “We are pleased to grant your request…” There are letters from Alexander the Great that use this style of writing. The problem with that thought is that there is no other Hebrew literature from this time frame written in that style. Alexander the Great dates from 125BC, which was long after the Genesis, account.
The answer is that the Triune God is involved with creation. For our look this morning, Christ is present in creation.
B. In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1-4). Now when we put Gen 1:26 together with Jhn 1:1 it really places the Trinity in focus. In the beginning tells us that Christ was there before time – time, as we know it. This means that Christ has always been there. We normally only think of God the Father and having always been there before the creation of the world, but now we read that the Word was there in the beginning. In other words, Christ is not some created being; He has existed eternally.
1. The Word was both with God and was God. It is important to note that it does not say that the Word was a God, but it says the Word was God. Some have added that little “a” in order to say that there can be more than one God. The text teaches us that the Christ (the Word) was God. That is a foundational thought of God – that there is only one God who is comprised of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Mark 12:29 Jesus quotes Deut 6, “HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;”
John 10:22-30 gives us some insight into this view as well.
Specifically vs. 30 where Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” Our Baptist Faith and Message states, The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. (2000 BF&M)
Understanding that God is One God with three personal attributes, this triune view of God is important for fighting against heresies that can arise within the church. It is also important to help us see that God has picked out His gift for you from the very foundations of the earth.
II. God’s plan to deliver His gift to you in the flesh (Isa 7:14).
As we unwrap our Christmas package, we move from Genesis to Isaiah. I get the impression when I read this prophecy passage that the Lord is so excited about this gift that He does not want to keep it a secret. Have you ever went shopping for a friend, family member, loved one and picked out the perfect gift and you couldn’t wait for them to open it because you want to see the look on their face?
Illustration: I took the kids Christmas shopping one year to buy something for Beth and I told them not to tell. They all agreed not to say a word. I even threatened to take something away if they told. No sooner did we get inside the door did one of them run up to their mom and say something like, “Mom, we bought you a _________.” They couldn’t contain their excitement. I get that picture when I read this – God just doesn’t want to contain His excitement..
The year is around 741BC and Ahaz was the 12th king of Judah of the line of David. King Ahaz has learned that Syria and N. Israel (Ephriam) has joined forces and intends to place their own king on the throne in Jerusalem.
Look at this dramatic wording in vs. 2: Their hearts shook with fear. Listen to how TLB describes this scene. “The hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear as the trees of a forest shake in a storm.” It is not a picture of a gentle blowing breeze. It’s like being in a storm and the wind is constantly howling and pushing this way and that way.
Isn’t that our walk before we met Christ? We are tossed around like a small boat in a hurricane from the storms of life. At first we think we can handle it, but it just goes on and on and on. The wind never stops. The trees never seem to settle down. We come to a place in our life that we can no longer handle the storm and we begin looking for a hope. That’s the miracle! That is when the lost turn to Christ – the only hope for mankind.
The sad thing is that many will refuse and do exactly what Ahaz does. God sent Isaiah to Ahaz in order to offer him protection. God instructed the prophet to tell the king to ask for a sign – a sign of assurance.
How many of us today dream of getting an offer like that from God? What is amazing to me is the fact that King Ahaz did not even follow the LORD. He made images of Baal and sacrificed to Molech. As one author describes him, “It was as if Ahab and Jezebel, with all their Canaanite syncretism, had been brought back to life again, only this time in Judah!” (Walter Kaiser – A history of Israel pg 372).
Ahaz refused to trust God to provide protection. Isaiah was trying to get the King to trust the LORD instead of making a pact with Assyria – to stay protected from Israel and Syria. What the prophet tells him is that all three kingdoms, Syria, Assyria, and N. Israel are already in God day runner, His palm pilot to be destroyed. God’s calendar says that within 65 years all of those nations will be no more. So God is saying don’t waste your time making a peace treaty with any of them – TRUST ME!
Isaiah said to King Ahaz, "You are surrounded by the kings of Syria and Israel, and you are placing your hope in Assyria to save Judah. I have good news: God wants you to ask for a sign that He will accomplish based on your faith in Him on behalf of his people.
But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" The king told Isaiah in so many words, and with a proud heart, "I don’t need God’s help. I have already hired the Assyrian army to save us."
A. One principle we can learn: When people set their heart upon God to serve Him as he prescribes, there is a blessing. When people set their hearts to sin against God and disobey Him, there is judgment at the hands of God. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings judgment.
B. Good News for us (vs. 14). This is bad news for Ahaz, but it turns out to be the Good News for you and me. Since Ahaz would not reach to the heavens for a sign in order to experience redemption from their enemies, God himself would give them, the house of David, a sign beyond their wildest imagination. Vs. 14 tells us that He would choose a young Jewish virgin ready for marriage. She would have a son and she would call his name Immanuel – God with us.
Isaiah’s words pointed to an ultimate fulfillment in the coming of God in the flesh to this earth. It is also a prophecy that many scholars believe was delivered in its immediate day as well. Our focus this advent season is on the ultimate fulfillment.
III. God’s gift is given to us personally (Matt 1:18-25).
In Matt 1 we find that Christ fulfilled Isaiah 7:14’s prophecy as Immanuel – God with us (read text here). God has given Himself to you as a gift! Get excited! This is why God wanted to give King Ahaz a sign – He could not wait to give His gift!
Here is the One who created everything into existence – “In the beginning God…” God is the gift. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He comes as a baby who will take away our sin as our sin bearer and bridges the gap between God and man. Jesus will grow up and rightfully stands and declare that, “He is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Him.”
Conclusion. There may be someone here this morning that is down or depressed because of the season. You can know this morning that you were created by God and He says you are Very Good. He wants you to unwrap His gift that He has for you. He has been waiting your lifetime to give it to you.
Perhaps you are like Ahaz and you are living life going through the motions being tossed by the winds of life – God has given you a sign; Christ is your sign and your gift too. Won’t you accept it today?
