“Immanuel: Healer for the New Day!”

Scripture: Isaiah 7:1-6, 9-17

As we have been journeying through Advent with the prophet Isaiah, we have discovered that he has been pointing Israel’s way toward Christmas. It would be hundreds of years before Christ would establish his earthly presence, but God never waits until the last day – he gives us plenty of warnings, and those warnings come through many of his servants.

Winston Churchill had planned his funeral, which took place in Saint Paul's Cathedral. He included many of the great hymns of the church and used the eloquent Anglican liturgy. At his direction, a bugler, positioned high in the dome of Saint Paul's, intoned, after the benediction, the sound of 'Taps,' the universal signal that says the day is over.

But then came the most dramatic turn: As Churchill had instructed, as soon as 'Taps' was finished, another bugler, placed on the other side of the great dome, played the notes of 'Reveille' - 'It's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up in the morning.' That was Churchill's testimony that at the end of history, the last note will not be 'Taps,' it will be 'Reveille.'
-John R. Claypool, The Worst and the Last, St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
Birmingham, Alabama.

The last note of human history is not going to be a mournful note – it will be one of resurrection, one of incredible joy! But what will we discover when we awake to that new day? Will we be welcomed into glory, or will we be excluded from it?

Read Isaiah 7:1-7a; 9b

The Lord has a plan that is unstoppable, except when he steps back to allow human plans to unfold. Israel and Aram were plotting against Judah, and God is warning the nation, through the prophet Isaiah, of the devastation that is coming. Remember that Judah is a very small nation, and Israel is much larger, and with their alliance with Aram, they would be quite powerful. But God says “it will not happen”, but he also adds “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

These words are specifically offered for King Ahaz of Judah, but they could have been just as pertinent if given to Israel. But the Northern Kingdom was already too far gone – too deeply immersed in their own sinful ways, and no prophetic word was going to change their course. God’s final word in this passage – without faith, you will be unable to withstand anything – is a word that the world has continued to need for the last few thousand years! And yet, even as it has been offered time and time again, many have still preferred to align themselves with the world. Faith means very little to them, and at best, it is seen as an impediment to their life.

Why can’t people accept God’s truth, his warnings, his word for their lives? He tells us “This is what is in the works, and it won’t be pleasant! But everything can turn around, if you would put your trust in me! If you will have faith in my word, just a little faith, victory can be yours! But if your misplaced faith continues as it has been, I won’t be able to help.”

But why can’t God help, even if our faith fails? After all, isn’t he all powerful? Can’t he do everything? True, but God is self-limiting because of that old "curse" that we know as “free will”. Over and over again, God gives the people warning upon warning, chance after chance, prophet after prophet, word after word, and only a very few people ever listen. Remember that Jesus’ power was limited, simply because the people didn’t believe. (Matthew 13:54-58) It wasn’t that he didn’t want to heal them, to forgive them, to renew them – he couldn’t, because they wouldn’t receive him.
We get to choose whether we receive life or death, victory or defeat, grace or condemnation. And the Lord knows full well that many will choose poorly.

Read Isaiah 7:10-17

Jehovah tells Ahaz “If you don’t believe the word I give you, then ask for a miraculous sign – do something, do anything, if it will help you to believe!”
And the king says no – he won’t test the Lord! He won’t test the Lord? You’ve got to be kidding! God gives him permission to ask for a sign, and the king of Judah declines the offer? The only conclusion that we can draw from this is that he doesn’t want to believe! He has heard Isaiah encourage him with “Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid.” He hears the Lord tell him that if he stands firm in faith, victory will be his. The Lord even tells him to ask for a proving sign, and the only firm stand he takes is to ignore his Jehovah God?

But the Lord doesn’t take his reluctance to ask for a sign as a final answer, and he gives the kingdom of Judah both a word and a sign of victory. If the king won’t ask for it, Jehovah will offer it to the entire nation. But will they listen? Will they understand? Will they receive it?

The interesting thing about verses 14 to 17 is that the context is mixed. Isaiah offers the promise of Jesus as a sign to the nation, but this won’t come to be for another 700 years or so. But he also prophesies about the coming of Assyria, who would conquer both the Northern Kingdom and Aram in only 10 or 15 years! Is the prophet confused? Is the message misunderstood?
Think of it this way - God is giving Judah two signs for the price of one. The first is that even though God has been with you throughout the centuries, he is on his way to be with you in a whole new and unexpected form. So watch for him! Don’t miss him! This first sign is a word of hope.
But the second sign is one that contains a dire warning – that the power house known as Assyria is also on its way - not as a savior, but as a means of destruction of Israel. So watch for this one, too, and don’t miss it, because when it comes, it will be proof that the first sign is also true.

How many signs – how many warnings – is God willing to send before he gives up on us? The answer is that there is no limit to his grace or his patience! (Matthew 18:21-22) He will continue to try to win us back to his way until our time has run out and it is too late. And even then, the signs will continue to come for those who still have time! And not only will they keep coming, but the signs will continue to be more and more unavoidable as time goes on and the Day of Glory approaches.

And I believe that Jesus’ first coming was the ultimate sign for the world and its people. After all, how much more unmistakable can the prophecy be than to have God Himself come into the world, to live and teach as one in his created order, to set his throne aside for many years of human existence, and to allow himself to become the sacrifice for humanity’s sinful ways. How could the Almighty provide a sign that is any greater than that? He can’t, and there aren’t!

Even though humanity refuses to seek the Lord’s goodness, he sent the ultimate invitation to us just the same. Imagine – Immortal God being born to mortal flesh, coming in person to share the desires of Divine Hope with the masses of hopelessness - to teach, to heal, to love, to sacrifice, until all of his human breath was taken from him, and then to offer one last glorious sign, that of resurrection into new life and ascension into glory.
These signs aren’t given for nothing, you know! They are offered as God’s one last great attempt to convince this hurting world that there is more to life than what we know. Jesus didn’t leave earth and return to heaven just to get away from the likes of us! He went as an example for us, to prepare the way for us, to show the way to us, to let us know that his coming was a Godly way of saying “I came to experience your life, so that you can come and experience mine!”

Is it any wonder that the angels were rejoicing on that night out in the fields? They knew that Jesus would be the perfect sign for the world, the perfect invitation for us to join him in eternity, the perfect means to ensure the worthiness of worthless people. And all that we would have to do is to accept the invitation. How much easier could it be? God’s plan for his created was perfect, and all that the people have to do is to choose glory over desolation, light over darkness, truth over lies, righteousness over sinfulness, healing over infirmity, life over death.

But would they? Will they? Will they choose before their time runs out? Will they choose Jesus, or will they opt for themselves? Will they choose the Holy Way of heaven, or the one that leads to a dead end? Only time will tell.