The Son

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer.

What if there was something that God was doing in the waiting. Yes, it was driving him crazy. But what if guys I know what God just appear and fix everything. But sometimes God has a purpose in the way things we learn attitudes that are formed in us and if we refuse to wait.

We will work the work that God is doing in us life with pastor JD Greer of the Summit church in Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina.

I'm your host Molly bit events for to us a child is born, to us a son is given. If I were to guess, I bet many of you are just humming or at least thinking of this familiar song from Handel's Messiah that we here at this time of year. The truth is we hear and we see those words everywhere right now, greeting cards, Christmas carols, tree ornaments, you name it we know the verse is talking about Jesus. But for most of us that's all we know about it and today pastor JD is diving into the context behind this familiar Christmas passage as he continues our new teaching series called foretold the book of Isaiah is our passage today with a message pastor JD titled this week to a series called foretold that last week I explained to you why believe that the prophecies about Jesus Christ are one of the most convincing ways that the Bible authenticates for us but Jesus really is from God that he is God's prophet to watch. There are right at 322 direct prophecies that describe for us the character and the nature of the coming Messiah as well as giving us specific details about his birth about his life. His death these predictions. As I noted for you were not those of people like Nostradamus, you know that is never read any of his predictions read a few over there like a thousand of them is usually the biggest but the numbers of thousand. Nostradamus was a 16th-century French mystic who got his prophecies by sitting on a little tripod appearing into a pot of boiling water is predictions if you ever read them are vague at best, and even his most ardent followers will tell you that he was often just plain wrong. By contrast, the sheer specificity amount in detail. The Bible prophecies is just amazing. I would encourage you not to take my word for it, especially if you struggle with with with with faith and without just go in and investigated on your own. It really is amazing what you look at them. It's pretty hard to say that the birth of Jesus was coincidental for a chance happening that event, the birth of Jesus Christ bears God stamped all over but found this interesting example from a CIA report. Whenever a double agent wants to reveal information of the CIA, the CIA usually gives them several layers by which to identify themselves, so there's no chance that they could get the wrong person. For example, one particular Soviet double agent was given six prearranged signs to accomplish when he revealed himself to the United States, number one, he was to go to Mexico City and number two to contact a certain guy in the city and let God know that he was there and identify himself by the name of I Jackson number three. After three days he was to go to a specific place in the city and the before stand in front of the statue of Columbus number five with his middle finger placed in the guidebook when he was approached by somebody asking for directions. He was number six. To say that the statue of Columbus was magnificent was it and that he was from Oklahoma. At that point they knew they had their guy. Jesus had not six signs to identify him but 322 so yes fulfilled prophecy was a major way that God authenticated the message of Jesus. Scholars tell us.

In fact, that 25% of what we call the Old Testament 25% of it is prophecy is the dominant theme of the whole thing is not just like a guidebook or a history of Israel. It is prophecy about the fact that the Messiah was coming and that the world should be watching for the birth of this baby who would be God. The next two weeks and that specifically the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 9 Isaiah nice if you have your Bibles.

And I certainly hope you do if you take those outs and you would open them and you look at Isaiah 9, walk us through this now and tell you, this prophecy looked at is not one of the most amazing in terms of the details it prophesies about the birth of Jesus, but it is one of the most amazing in its descriptions about what Jesus would be like and what his purpose would be Isaiah 9 the first seven verses tell me set the context for you really don't what's going on here in this passage we got rewind the clock about 700 years before the birth of Jesus.

There was a rising power in the Middle East called Syria, and all the other nations of the Middle East started to get nervous about how strong Syria had become so they formed an alliance to defend themselves against the Syrian well they wanted Jerusalem's King King Ahaz to join their alliance. Ahaz did want to do it because he didn't like either of those guys and to trust him. So they threatened to invade Jerusalem and replace Ahaz with a king who would start making plans to invade Jerusalem and this, of course, first King Ahaz and all Jerusalem into a panic. Well, the king of Assyria comes Ahaz, and says join me and I will protect you from those armies that are about to make war against you to now here's King Ahaz in Jerusalem. They got both sides saying join us and not we will destroy you. So I know what to do. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to him and tells him join either side. I will protect you will. Ahaz is nervous about this and I say I can see that on his face and so he tells Ahaz. Don't worry, God says I'll give you a sign that I'm speaking to you I give you a sign for me.

Not you think that Ahaz would be excited about getting a sign from God, but instead he's I know don't do that because evidently he thinks it God gives me a sign that I have to obey but Isaiah says you don't want to sign God says he'll give you one anyway and so in Isaiah 7 he says the sign is this a virgin will give birth to a child's now this part right here is a little confusing so hang with me. Scholars believe that there was a fulfillment of this prophecy. At the time of Isaiah, a child that was born the impact you can see the birth of the child referenced in chapter 8 of Isaiah, but it becomes pretty obvious that the real and the ultimate fulfillment of this promise would come much later. Because you see this child start being described in the most incredible charts like verse two. That's where will we will pick up the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied our nation have increased its joy.

For the yoke of his burden the rod of his oppressor.

You broken for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, the Prince of peace of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no in on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore now, here's your Debbie downer moment for for your weekend. Ahaz ends up rejecting all this advice in making an alliance with the king of Assyria, which not only did not help them but it eventually backfired Assyria who they may be alliance with Tim against them and would try to capture them. Then Ahaz completely loses his mind and starts to sacrifice to the gods of the other nations around them just to see if any of them will help your bird offered to the sky just to try to start over here got a beer. I get the image of God was going to Las Vegas and lost all of his money to take the last little bit of it that he has and starts just playing at anything and get his hands on to see if he can win back all this money you will at the end of his life.

The legacy that Ahaz leaves is to have led Israel into all kinds of idolatry would ultimately lead to their destruction and exile to be depressed right but this passage while it's depressing in its historical context is very instructive for us to let's ask a few questions on first how does this prophecy of the birth of Jesus. How does it answer the problem that Ahaz has in Isaiah 9, namely, that there is an army outside of Jerusalem that wants to destroy you see that into a very real dire felt need situation impending attack doesn't get more dire than that in that situation, God gives a promise about a Messiah who would be bought for 700 years.

How does that prophecy speak to the situation. That's a great question right so I'm really glad you asked him was for the rest of our time answering here's number one ultimate answers to our problems will be given in Jesus ultimate answers to our problems will be given in Jesus the first, let me let you know that I am speaking to a group of people with problems.

I know that sometimes people look at pastors may think your preacher your man of God you don't know what it's like to have real problems. Trust you problems that you created for yourself.

Listen, I have my own problems, and many of them are self-created plus people come to me a lot as a pastor I am daily. Confronted by many of the problems of people in this church. I know that some of you have health problems. You've got significant relationship problems so your browse your kids, so would you do with depression so you have a family member with depression maybe you just found out that you can't have kids of your spouses left you. You got problems that your job some of you are so suffocated by problems around you so you can brief just like King Ahaz driven enemy that is larger than you and you really need God's help with and I want to make this clear.

God will help us in the present justice he offered to in the story he offered to help Kate L.

King Ahab's God answers prayer. Scripture makes it very clear at this church. We believe that he heals the sick. We believe that he restores marriages. We believe that he provides for the needy and we believe that because many of us have experienced the first. We believe that very, very deeply.

One of the greatest excitements in my life is seeing God on a consistent basis. Answer prayer in my life. Prayers for guidance that operate to this week that God just in his own way revealed something to me that I was praying about it, help it was something prayers for help that we call out to God for prayers for healing. It blows my mind seeing how active God is in my life. But the big point while God will help us in the present. The big point God is making here is that the ultimate answer this prayer and all prayers will be given in the reign of Jesus, the ultimate answer to this prayer that Ahaz is praying and all prayers will be given in the reign of Jesus. You see, ultimately, all of our needs require an eternal solution. Something about this from never think that a lot of our prayers are for temporary answers. For example, you have bad health. So you pray God, please heal and if he does great, but at some point you still die, and death is like varsity level sickness, so any healing you now ask for is just temporary same God that my spouse get better so they don't die and leave me alone got my spouses let me bring them back to me again eventually want to die and leave you, the Prince of peace that was promised, here was not simply coming to help out temporarily to win this particular battle for King Ahaz or heal one person sickness, the Prince of peace was coming to end all battles and rid the world of death entirely when he rains he will restore families permanently abolish wars take away sickness and pain of loneliness and depression that ultimate healing. Until then, we like those in Isaiah not awaiting while God does answer prayer in the present. We still live in a world of trouble and pain and disappointment and we wait for God to bring final healing in Jesus's reign. Now I know some of you, especially the more astute like will intermittently when Ahaz heard this, Jesus had not been born yet but now here we are 2000 years, 2700 years later after this, Jesus has been born in the world is still a mess and many Jewish people over the years.

Tell me this is why they don't believe that Jesus was the Messiah like you know I mean detain Messiah came, what's the difference in the world that the Holocaust was post your Prince of peace, not pre-or Prince of peace talk about it in the Messiah there? Explain the mystery to you. The Bible says that the first time I give this little beep, especially if your miniature for a while but in women Bible says the first time Jesus came to what we call the first to admit he came to defeat sin and death by dying on the cross and then demonstrating that are resurrected from the dead and thereby starting a revolution in the hearts of people all over the world. That's because our primary problem was not that an army was trying to destroy us.

Our primary problem is not bad health or bad relationship or primary problem is that we are sinners who have separated from God spiritually corrupted ourselves to Jesus on the cross, defeated our sin and death and is offered that victory to all who will receive it when he comes again. What we call the second admit he will vent rid the world of all pain and suffering. The first time to come and rid the world of the sin that caused that pain and suffering, and he offered that freedom and healing all who would receive him as your Christmas theology less.

The first Advent brought relief from our sins. The second advent will bring relief from our suffering, but for now we like Ahaz are given a promise that healing and we wait for its fulfillment. Now you say why wait what he's fictional once I mean I hate waiting but we all honey, don't you, but me I thought especially I think it's because I have an especially low threshold for boredom or maybe I'm just waiting 82 ADD that I don't really know but for whatever reason, I just despise waiting for things I hated most about Christmas as a kid was the way Tina like we couldn't ever get through December drug and all you noticed by the way that we actually do things to accentuate the fact to kids that we are waiting for one. The mall starts putting up Christmas decorations on 4 July.

Now then there's the whole Advent season staying at every point he reminded for like 20 some days in a row that it's not here yet in our house we have three the call Advent calendars, but things up a little barn doors you open up every day discuss something else inside of their 25 in your Christmas in the middle chalkboard that has blank days to Christmas in everyday the kids get up and erase the number in the right and the new number click just the case you forgot. It's not your yes drama poor kids crazy.

That was a southern phrase if you grew up deep South called slow manner that is actually a very important part of Christmas tradition is not accidental waiting. Waiting is supposed to be an important part of Christmas tradition because it reminds us that life for the believer is in a posture of waiting for ultimate redemption into other times my life. I remember hating waiting. The first was the birth of my first baby and I in that situation.

It's so slow like whatever soul slows nine months of my life, but didn't think about you don't want that baby to deliver early Miami.

It may be hard to wait, but there are important things developing in that wound that you do not want to stop nor do you want to rush what if that was God's purpose in what he's doing or seemingly not doing in your life right now, with the purpose of God in your waiting is to form some very important things in us during this time that is exactly the analogy or the metaphor that Paul uses in Romans eight as to what God is doing on the earth.

What if there was something that God was doing in the waiting. And yes it was driving you crazy.

But what if he had a purpose and a guys I know we want God to just appear fix everything. But sometimes God has a purpose in the weight things we learn attitudes that are formed in us and if we refuse to wait. We will abort the work that God is doing in us that makes sense. Another example you have time. I remember hating. Waiting was when I got engaged with relatively short engagement six months or so, but it just was like why we don't want to get married.

Why would we just put six arbitrary months and there is perfect since the guys to girls that like to succumb to plan a wedding you can do that in like a week. What were you going to wait just, you know, some wings and some Roman but our friends correctly. The reason I did want to wait the six months is because I don't give a rats behind about the ceremony as a guys know you're just as well we made past.

We don't fail. That's all I care about, but my wife didn't care about the ceremony so she was willing to wait.

God cares about what he is doing in you and so there is the way God does that is never late. He's got it all under complete control. I know you think is late. Ahaz thought he was letting but is not.

He's never been never been like always arrives exactly when he intends to the apostle Paul described Jesus birth and this is one time when he said was this place for four when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, fullness of time is a majestic Greek phrase that simply means shots the right. If you find yourself in a place where your having to wait on God.

Know that God has things fully under control. God will do his work in your life in the fullness of time, told abort what God is doing in you by refusing. For now what you get is Jesus what you get is Jesus a senior in Isaiah 9 God gives them a promise of ultimate fulfillment of the future.

What you get in the present is the presence of Jesus is joy in treasure know that he knows you and you and your life you're listening to some it might. The Bible teaching ministry of Sir Arthur and theologian JD Greer.

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