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Come Closer
We begin a four-part series entitled Closer that will run through Christmas Sunday with our big finale on December 23rd. In this series called Closer, we will study Isaiah chapter 7, 8 and 9. The book of Isaiah has been called the fifth gospel because it is filled with so much goodnews of Jesus’ coming. The goodnews of the gospel is that Jesus’ death paid the penalty for our sins, but God’s plan required something very amazing for that goodnews. God’s plan had to include God coming closer. The word Immanuel means God with us. The transcendent became the imminent. God’s long distance relationship was exchanged for a closer relationship. Many of us have experienced long distance relationships with girlfriends or boyfriends. One thing is true of long distance relationships, it is very difficult to experience the love when you are far away. With distance comes forgetfulness – we forget to call, we forget to write because too often out of sight means out of mind. In fact, very few relationships survive the long distance, and probably no relationship can survive the long distance forever. For the relationship to flourish, the distance must be overcome and the people must come closer. God created us for a relationship. If anyone knows that long distance relationships don’t work, it is God. To draw closer to you, Immanuel is promised. Immanuel or God with us. As we prepare for Christmas, the foundation of our celebration is God coming closer to you. Over the next few weeks, it is my hope that this study of Isaiah will help you draw closer to the God who by Immanuel drew closer to us. I believe this truth is important to everyone of us. No matter how new or seasoned of a believer you are, everyone of us is in a relationship with God that involves some level of distance. If you are not a Christ follower, then you do not have the closeness of God the Sprit inside of you. And, if you are a believer, then you know that even with God the Spirit dwelling and living inside of you there still is a distance between you and God.
This is a call for all of us to desire greater intimacy with God. Your heavenly father desires a relationship with you that is not just casual, not just respectful and not distant, but God wants an intimate relationship. In the book of Revelation, Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” God knows the good and bad deeds you do, but what our heavenly father wants is for you to either love him with red hot passion or walk away from him. He is not looking for a casual relationship for that is something he would spit out, but God asks you to decide – please, please, please either choose intimacy with God or hatred for God. The in betweeners those in between hot or cold hold no interest for God. It is either intimacy or nothing. Later in chapter 3 of Revelation, Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” Your God who presents this intense choice of either intimacy or hatred but certainly not casualness has come to you – yes, Jesus has come from heaven, Jesus came to be with us and he stands at the door and knocks. He knocks at your door. He will not break your door down, he will not open the door, nor will he walk through the door to you. But, Jesus knocks at your door; he has come from heaven to your door and knocks asking you to open it if and only if you desire intimacy with the God who has come closer…….(pause)………This Christmas, we are asking you to carefully consider, maybe even meditate on how the Creator of the universe came closer; so close in fact that he is knocking on the door to your life. And, Jesus as he knocks on your door is talking and you can hear it through the door – I have come all the way from glory and became a man so I could knock on your door – do you desire closeness?
I would like to take you back 700 years before Christmas or before Jesus came to earth as the God-Man through the birth of the baby Jesus to Mary and Joseph. Did you know that God promised Jesus 700 years before he was born. God spoke through a man named Isaiah. Isaiah was known as a prophet of God, or a spokesperson for God. God told Isaiah to give king Ahaz, the king of southern Israel or Judah, a sign. The sign was Immanuel – God would draw closer to humans. This is important because when God drew closer, he did so with expectations. God draws closer to give us the opportunity to either choose to open the door for intimacy or keep the door closed for a casual, religious, lukewarm knowledge of Immanuel. Isaiah 7:1-2 “When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” The first thing we need to see is Jesus knocks on our door when our lives are most shaken. Jesus’ knocking on our door for intimacy is loudest when we are in the worst condition. When we need God’s grace most, Jesus knocks loudest. To demonstrate this truth…
We are pointed backward to 785 bc when God’s prophet Isaiah uttered God’s prophetic words. Prophecy is when God tells us something that will take place some time in the future. In Isaiah 7, we find Israel split into the divided kingdom – the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. There was a massive empire just to the north of Israel called Assyria who was in control of a great part of the world. Because there was fear in the countries not yet taken over by Assyria, the country Aram and the people known as the Aramaens made an alliance with northern Israel to fight against Assyria. Then they asked the southern kingdom Judah to join them. King Ahaz who was a terribly wicked king of Judah who knew that if he did not join with the northern kingdom and Aram to fight Syria, then they would first attack Judah. Ahaz declined the alliance and the two countries launched a military initiative against Judah. Ahaz must have known the great risk because it says that all the people’s hearts were shaken in fear. Because God did not want Judah to align with these two countries, God spoke through Isaiah to Ahaz saying keep calm, don’t be afraid, don’t lose heart because these two countries who want to destroy Judah will not, it will not happen, in fact, he tells him that within 65 years the northern kingdom will not exist. God again exhorts him saying stand firm in your faith do not align with them. To bolster Ahaz’s faith, God says go ahead and ask me for a sign to help you get through this crisis of faith. But Ahaz won’t ask for a sign because Ahaz has already made an alliance with Assyria which is terrible. But, God speaking through Isaiah tells Ahaz if you will not ask for a sign, then I will give you a sign: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.” (vv.14-16) 700 years before Jesus is born, God’s man Isaiah speaks prophecy of a virgin birthing the Savior known as Immanuel. Immanuel means God is with us.
King Ahaz’s failure teaches us an important truth, long distance relationships make it very difficult for us to be faithful. Our unfaithful actions will destroy our relationships. When we experience distance in our relationship from God, we will fail over and over. Knowing this truth, God offers a way to close the distance, that is to come closer to us, and help us to be faithful because the alternative is that we will fall flat on our faces and hurt ourselves.
When the northern alliance terrified Judah with plans to invade, Isaiah assured king Ahaz that the country would be safe IF he would believe. Isaiah explained God’s promise that the northern alliance’s plan to conquer the land and people would not happen, if Ahaz would believe and trust God. However, Isaiah told king Ahaz, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (v.9b) King Ahaz chose not to believe and trust God, instead he made an alliance with Assyria. Instead of trusting God, Ahaz trusted the strength of the Assyrian men. Ahaz was unfaithful. His relationship with God was weak and distant. Failure and unfaithfulness caused Ahaz to not stand at all. Ahaz became known as such a terribly corrupt king that he was not even permitted to be buried with the other kings.
If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. As a man of God who desires to have an intimately close relationship with God, I want faithfulness. Part of what I do is sometimes play out the consequences if I am unfaithful and fall. If I am unfaithful to my wife, I will lose my marriage and one of a very small handful of people who truly care about me. I will also lose my daily relationship with my children. I would lose being a pastor. If I am unfaithful, I would not stand at all. Imagine how much worse that would be with God. The offer that Ahaz was given is available to us: if you will just be faithful to God, then you do not need to be afraid of losing everything. How can I believe you God? Because I will come closer; I will remove the distance, and I will come to your front door and knock. And, if you want Immanuel, if you want God with you, then open the door. God’s plan was always to overcome the problem of long distance relationships – that problem is distance. His plan was to come closer. Faithfulness in long distance relationships is quite difficult, but if the couple comes closer and has the opportunity for intimacy then faithfulness can be strengthened.
The promise of Immanuel does not eliminate suffering, but it is the grace to sustain through suffering. The promised Immanuel gives you a vision of the end of the suffering. While God gives us a vision of the end of suffering, we live in the present tense or in the middle of the suffering. When it comes to existing through our suffering we have one overwhelming question – where is my deliverer? Who will help me get through this horrible mess, because I have no idea how I will make it through. King Ahaz was in the midst of a situation where his peoples’ hearts were melting in fear. Everyone knew that the northern kingdom had made an alliance with a superpower to destroy them. The end was near, destruction inevitable, freedom will be no more; they may not even be alive in days. Isaiah came to Ahaz with a word from God, and I believe I come today to you with the same word from God. Isaiah offered it to a sinful king and I offer this word to all of us sinners. The all powerful God of the universe assures you that He is in control, His plans are in full force, there is nothing to be alarmed by, God is not surprised, it is God who has set all the things into motion, and God knows ever detail of your life. He says to us today, if you stand firm in your faithfulness then everything, yes everything in your life – marriage, relationship, children, school, career, ministry, friends – will work out in God’s perfect way for your life. If you stand firm in faith to God, then you are on God’s pathway toward fullness of joy. Just as Isaiah told Ahaz, this fullness of joy meant Ahaz kept the throne, it would mean a saving relationship with God; yet, there would be suffering on God’s perfect pathway. The Assyrians would overcome the southern kingdom for a while, but don’t worry or lose hope because this is all part of God’s perfect plan. It will be for their good. This word for us today is that if you stand firm in faithfulness don’t think that God offers an easy life, pain free, suffering free. He offers you His perfect pathway if you will stand firm, be faithful. God wants this so much for you that he gave us a sign, an evidence, a proof. God’s word for us today is that Immanuel would come – your deliverer, your savior, the one born of a virgin. God wants us to stand firm in our faith and in order for us to do that He foretold the future coming of Jesus our savior and lord 700 years before he came. Immanuel, God is with us through Jesus Christ is offered to strengthen you through the times when your heart is melting. Today, maybe you need God’s strength, God’s grace, God’s mercy to help you stand firm and make it through another trial.
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