A Son will be Born

When King Ahaz would not ask God for a sign, even when God told him to, God gave him one anyway. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God told Ahaz the sign would be a young woman would bear a son and name him Immanuel. What did the prophecy mean?

We have been conditioned by years of teaching and preaching that this passage points to the coming of the Messiah. Though that is true, it is not the only meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy. As is often the case with Isaiah, his prophecies point to two different time periods, and sometime three.

In this specific prophecy, Isaiah is pointing to two future dates. King Ahaz was worried about the alliance of Ephraim and Aram coming against Jerusalem. He was seeking help from the King of Assyria. Rather than trusting God to deliver them, Ahaz had turned to an enemy of his enemy for aid. Unfortunately, Ahaz was setting Judah up to be conquered by who he was seeking aid from.

Isaiah’s prophecy speaks to both the immediate situation and further into the future. He prophecies of a child being born in the near future and Judah would be saved by God. He also uses broad enough language that points to the Messiah coming hundreds of years into the future. The double fulfillment of the prophecy has the same meaning. For the non-believing Ahaz, the name Immanuel, would be a reminder and threat that God was always there. For those of us who live after the coming of Jesus Christ, it is also a reminder that God is with us and a threat to those who don’t believe in Him.

As we read prophecies of the Old Testament, especially those pointing to the coming of the Messiah, we should also ask ourselves what it might have meant to those who heard it. Was it pointing to something more immediate as well as the future? Does it point beyond the coming of the Messiah to His return? It is by studying God’s prophecies in more detail that we increase our faith in Christ’s return.

I pray we all study God’s prophecies in greater detail. I pray we see the double or triple meaning of the prophecies. I pray each one of us increases our faith as we read God’s prophecies. Study God’s prophecies. See the multiple meanings. Increase your faith.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.”

See God’s Signs

Do you often refuse to ask for help? Do you seek to do it on your own? Do you sometimes wish there would be a sign that would lift your spirits? Have you thought you should ask God for a sign but refused to do so? Did you refuse because you thought you were testing God?

Asking for help is very difficult for some of us. Asking God to give us a sign, show us the way, show us he is in control can be even more challenging. We can feel as though we are testing God, and we know we are not to test him. So, we don’t ask.

We are not alone. God told King Ahaz to ask for a sign. Not just any sign but a big sign. Ahaz refused because he did not want to put God to the test. It has been a longstanding understanding that we are not to test God. Thousands of years of belief and tradition have been passed down, demanding that we not test God.

So, what did God tell Ahaz to ask for a sign? Could it be that we humans misinterpret the meaning of testing God? I propose asking God for a sign is not testing him, especially when he says to do so. In the case of Ahaz, God used the prophet Isaiah to tell him what the sign would be. It is a sign that we continue to refer to even today, which we will discuss tomorrow.

I pray we all know we are not to test God. I pray we know we can ask God to provide us a sign in faith. I pray each one of us open our eyes to see the signs God has provided and continues to provide. Do not test God. Ask God to lead you. Open your eyes to see God’s signs.

Isaiah 7:10-12 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Wait Patiently

Are you patient? Or are you impatient? Does it depend on the circumstances? Are you patient sometimes and impatient at other times? What dictates whether you are patient or not? Is there a pattern? Have you thought about it?

Patience can be hard to come by. We live in an impatient world. We want everything and we want it right now—including patience. We can get immediate answers to questions from Google. We can order just about anything from Amazon and have it within a couple days.

One encounter I had with patience included a lady praying for patience, a mission trip to Romania, a missed flight, and two days trying to get home. A long story, but we all learned a little about having patience during that trip. We jokingly teased her, stating it was all her fault for praying for patience.

James tells his audience to wait patiently for Jesus to come again. It can be a challenge when we see the mess our world is in. We may want Jesus to return immediately and relieve us of all the negatives we are experiencing. However, none of us know when He will return.

On the other hand, we have been waiting for so long—roughly two-thousand years—that we often forget we are waiting. We walk through life blinded by busyness and cultural norms. We rarely think that we are waiting for Jesus to return. We would be well served to remember He is returning and we are to be ready.

I pray we all remember we are waiting for Jesus’ return. I pray we wait with patience and actively spread the hope of Christ. I pray each one of us know that no one knows when Jesus will return. Jesus will return. Wait patiently. Wait actively. Spread the hope of Christ.

James 5:7a “Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.”

Suffering and Patience

Do you like to suffer? My guess is not. Do you like to have to wait patiently? Probably not that either. What is it about suffering that turns us away from it? Why are we so impatient? Is it simply our nature? Or have we morphed into it? Is it something our culture has taught us?

I suspect people of every age have had an aversion to suffering. Enduring pain is not something anyone seeks out. However, we can endure it when we know there is a purpose in it. Military training often includes some form or another of suffering. Yet, there is reason for it.

Patience, on the other hand, is a virtue we could all use in our lives. Though I’m sure there were impatient people in previous centuries, I suspect their impatience was not quite to the extreme we see in our world today. They didn’t have the machines nor Google or Amazon. They had to wait for many of life’s necessities.

James tells his audience to look at the prophets as an example of suffering and patience. The prophets were often suffering from persecution, often from the kings they were prophesying to and against. Their message from God was not popular. They were also very patient. They knew the visions God gave them were not for them but the future. They knew they would not see them fulfilled but continued to believe God would fulfill them anyway.

We may not be required to suffer in the same way the prophets did, but we may suffer from persecution in that our friends may abandon us because we speak out for God. We need to be patient. Though we may say that God works in his time, we often don’t want to wait for him. Yet, when we wait patiently for God to act, we are rewarded handsomely. We discover God had something so much better in mind than we could imagine.

I pray we all are willing to suffer for the good news of Jesus. I pray we follow the example of the prophets. I pray each one of us learn to be patient, waiting for God to work in our lives. Be willing to suffer for Jesus. Be like the prophets of old. Patiently wait for God.

James 5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Give God the Credit

Do you like people who brag about themselves? Is it bragging if what they are stating is true? Is it their attitude when they talk about themselves that makes it bragging? Have you heard Jesus state what He was doing? Do you considered Him to be bragging?

Most of us do not like to listen to a braggart. Someone boasting about their great accomplishments typically doesn’t turn us on. However, we like to hear stories from those who have gong places we haven’t gone and done things we haven’t done. The difference between a story and bragging is delivery.

When John the Baptist sends a couple of his disciples to go ask Jesus if He is the One they were waiting for, Jesus doesn’t give a simple yes or no answer. Instead, Jesus lists the things He was doing. Not only that He tells John’s disciples to report what they had seen and heard He had done. Without context, we might think Jesus was bragging. But Jesus was stating what He had done to demonstrate He was fulfilling prophecy that John would know pointed to the Messiah.

Much like Jesus was stating fact, and likely doing so humbly rather than arrogantly, we can tell people what we have done. Jesus is our example for how to live our lives. Therefore, we can follow Him in this example. Being humble does not mean we must be a doormat. It does mean that when we speak of our accomplishments, we give credit to God for his blessings. We attribute all we have accomplished to God. For we can do nothing without him.

I pray we all follow Jesus’s example. I pray we know it is only by God’s blessing that we can accomplish anything. I pray each one of us give God the credit when we speak of accomplishments. Follow Jesus’s example. Recognize God’s blessings. Give God the credit.

Matthew 11:4-5 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”

Prepare for Doubt

Do you have doubts? Have you thought you knew something to be true but later wonder if it is? Has something happened that caused you to question yourself or someone else you believed in? Are you doubting today? Have you become skeptical? Are you asking questions?

Doubt can creep in on even the staunchest of people. We can believe something for our entire lives and suddenly wonder if we were being fooled into a false belief. We can be shaken by an unexpected event. It can throw our world into a topsy turvy mess of emotions causing us to doubt.

Doubt, skepticism, and worry come to us all. It came to John the Baptist. He proclaimed that Jesus was the One, meaning the Messiah. He proclaimed that Jesus would become greater than him because Jesus was before him and was coming after him. He pointed to the same message John the Apostle points out in the first chapter of his gospel, stating Jesus was there at the beginning of creation.

Why did John the Baptist begin to doubt? He was thrown in prison by Herod Antipas out of fear that John’s disciples would cause an uprising among the Jews. While in prison, John sent a couple of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One. It is likely things were not working out as John thought they would. Maybe he was hoping Jesus would rescue him from prison. We don’t know. However, we know John had a bit of doubt creep in, even though he had proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah.

What are we to do when doubt creeps in? We turn back to Scripture. We read and reread the gospels. We recapture and reaffirm what we know about Jesus. We read His promises again and again. We remember that God has fulfilled his promises in the past and trust he will do so in the future. We turn our doubt into trust.

I pray we all prepare ourselves for doubt to creep in. I pray we continue to read Scripture, especially the gospels. I pray each one of trust in God’s promises, removing our doubts about Jesus. Prepare for doubt. Read Scripture. Trust God’s promises. Remove your doubt.

Matthew 11:2-3 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

Seek Help from God

Are you satisfied with your current situation? Are you disgruntled about something in your life? Are you seeking to improve yourself and your circumstances? How are you going about improvement? Are you trying to do it all yourself? If not, who are you turning to for help?

I suspect all of us could state there is something in our lives we would like to improve. Some of those things may be minor while some of them could be major. Significant change is challenging and can be extremely difficult. We may need to seek help from someone else.

The Psalmist tells us that we will be happy if we seek our help from God. Does that mean the change will happen immediately? Almost certainly not. However, if we are seeking God’s help to change us, change our circumstances, and we are willing to follow his guidance, we will certainly change and our circumstances will change. Not only that, but our attitude toward ourselves and our circumstances will improve.

The Psalmist continues to give reasons for why we can trust God. He made heaven and earth. He made the sea and everything in it. He is faithful, no matter what we do or what happens in this world. He is just and judges righteously for the oppressed. He feeds the hungry, both physically hungry and spiritually hungry. God made everything and provides all that we need.

Therefore, looking to God for our help is our best option. We are likely to fall short if we rely solely on ourselves. Yet, when we rely on God, we can trust that he will provide. God never leaves us alone nor does he stop loving us. His will for us is to live a life that is pleasing to him. One way we can do that is to rely on him for everything. When we do, we will also follow his guidance for our lives.

I pray we all know that we can trust God. I pray we seek God’s help to change ourselves and our circumstances. I pray each one of us will rely on God to provide and follow his guidance. You can trust God. Seek God’s help. Allow God to change you. Rely on God to provide. Follow God’s guidance.

Psalm 146:5-7

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, 

whose hope is in the Lord their God, 

who made heaven and earth, 

the sea, and all that is in them;

who keeps faith forever; 

who executes justice for the oppressed; 

who gives food to the hungry.

Goal for Eternity

What do you seek the most? What is the top priority for you? Is it a nice, new home? Is it a top-level job? Is it a lifelong partner? Is it children or grandchildren? What are you doing to pursue your desire? What are you doing now to prepare for your ultimate achievement?

I hear many people wishing for a new home, a promotion in their job, finding a partner for life, and being a respected member of society. Unfortunately, I often see the same people doing nothing to pursue them. Achieving those things requires years of work.

What kind of work is required? More than just planning, though planning, even if rudimentary, is important. It requires us to recognize the next step and take it. To be successful in achieving our goals, we must keep them in mind each day. We must do today what will help us progress toward our goal and forgo those things that detract from it. It may require making hard choices. Some of those choices may mean detaching ourselves from friends, or even family. For instance, I had to leave a large portion of my family behind to retire from the Marine Corps.

But what do we hope for at the end of our lives? The prophet Isaiah tells us that we can spend eternity with joy and gladness. How? We must commit our lives to the Lord. In the same way we must make choices to pursue earthly goals, we must do the same for our eternal goal. Each day we can choose to live by the world’s standard or by Jesus’s standard. We can choose to speak and behave as the world does, or we can speak and behave as Jesus did.

We hear people speaking of the promises of God. We hear of golden streets, crystal palaces, continual joy, no more sadness, and a perfect world. All those promises are true. Yet, God has expectations for us. We may think they are restrictive, but they are no more restrictive than a parent with a child or a manager with an employee. There are steps we can take to be more like Jesus and be confident in our eternal home.

I pray we all desire to spend eternity with God. I pray we choose to commit our lives to the Lord. I pray each one of us will take steps to meet God’s expectations and follow the example of Jesus. Desire eternity with God. Commit yourself to the Lord. Seek to meet God’s expectations. Follow Jesus’ example.

Isaiah 35:10

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return 

and come to Zion with singing; 

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; 

they shall obtain joy and gladness, 

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

All Will Be Perfect

If you had the power to do one thing for the world, what would it be? Would you feed the hungry? Would you give homes to the homeless? Would you heal everyone with cancer? Would you cause all wars to end? What if all of those and more could be done at once?

Though none of us have the power to do the things mentioned above, we often wish we did. We especially wish for that power when a loved one has cancer or is struggling financially or gone off to serve in the military. We wish we could eliminate whatever it is that is worrying us.

For those of us who believe in Jesus, we know it will all happen. We know that when Jesus returns, all will be well. We have evidence of Jesus performing those miracles when He walked this earth before. He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah by giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, the ability to speak to the dumb, and the ability to walk to the lame.

Jesus promised there will be no tears in His kingdom, all would be made whole, everyone would have plenty to eat, everyone would have a place to sleep, and we all will sing the praises of God. We have heard of the streets of gold, the river of water of life, and the tree of life with different fruits for every month. Isaiah’s prophecy gives us a glimpse into what it will be like when Jesus returns.

I pray we all know things will be perfect when Jesus returns. I pray we know that everyone will be healed. I pray each one of us looks forward to an eternity spent with God in his kingdom. Jesus will return. All will be made perfect. Everyone will be well. Look forward to eternity with God.

Isaiah 35:5-6a

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, 

and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; 

then the lame shall leap like a deer, 

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

Trust in Baptism

Do you remember your baptism? Have you been baptized more than once? Have you felt the presence of the Holy Spirit? Have you felt a strange warming in your heart? Have you been baptized by fire? Do you want to be baptized by fire?

Baptism can be a tricky subject among Christians. Some believe in infant baptism and others don’t. Some believe the only valid baptism is full immersion, while others believe sprinkling or pouring is just as acceptable. Some believe a person should only be baptized once, while others believe being baptized multiple times is fine.

No matter where we fall in these beliefs, it is more important to believe God’s grace covers our failures. I honestly doubt any one of us is 100% correct. Some of us may be correct in some things while others are correct in others. It is unfortunate that we too often adhere to manmade rules rather than following the example of Scripture.

John the Baptist speaks of the baptism he is performing versus the baptism coming through Christ. Christ’s baptism would not only come through the Holy Spirit but fire as well. Now, let’s not think it is literal fire, though the apostles certainly experienced it on Pentecost. Our baptism by fire comes typically through trials.

Our trials reveal and confirm our belief and trust, or faith, in Jesus Christ. It is often through trials that our faith is increased. We experience God at work in our lives. It is by going through the fire of trials that we gain a better picture of God working in the world.

I pray we all hold onto our faith during times of trial. I pray we trust in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I pray each one of us knows that baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a gift from God. Hold onto your faith. Trust the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a gift from God.

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”