“God Gives a Sign for All Times” Isaiah 7.10-17 Advent 4a, Dec. ‘13

1.                  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word for this 4^th Sunday in Advent comes to us from Isaiah 7:10-17 and is entitled, “God Gives a Sign for All Times,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                  The meaning of a sign depends on who you are or how you see it. Who you are affects how you understand and interpret the sign. For example, for North Americans, pinching your index finger and thumb together and holding up three fingers means “okay.” But in other parts of the world (Brazil, for instance), this gesture is a sign of obscenity. Another example is a police siren. If you’re a criminal who broke the law, then those flashing red and blue lights are a sign that you’re in trouble—you’ve been caught, and you’re probably about to be arrested! But if you need help, the police siren is a sign of protection—help is on the way! Again, the meaning of a sign depends on who you are, how you see it.

3.                  In Isaiah 7, we hear about the sign of Immanuel given by God to King Ahaz: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is 7:14). For Ahaz, the meaning of the sign depended on whether he saw it as reassurance from God or as a nuisance when he had other plans. Was he going to believe in God’s promise of protection or reject God’s deliverance and fend for himself? If Ahaz believed God, the birth of Immanuel would be a sign of hope. But if he refused to believe, the birth of Immanuel would spell his doom.  What will the same sign mean to us?

4.                  Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign when instructed by the LORD’s appointed to do so.  Why?  How can he refuse such a command, such an offer, when it’s in us to do just that?  Ahaz fears the sign, for he knows a sign delivered is a sign heeded and followed.  To ask and then receive is to bow to the will and the demand of the Lord, and Ahaz bows to no one but himself.  He will not ask; he will not subject himself to the LORD God.  This is not piety; this is stubborn refusal to listen to the LORD.

5.                  To be like King Ahaz and not take what God offers is a serious sin. Think of the visible gospel, the sacraments, and what God offers to us in them. He offers a washing of rebirth. He offers body and blood for the forgiveness of sin. He offers more than signs. He offers the very substance of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Consider how many despise these gifts, doubt their power, and neglect their use. When the Lord directs us to act on his promises, then we must, by his grace, act, and in such faith-wrought action, we will receive blessing. 

6.                  Thanks be to God that the LORD isn’t discouraged by King Ahaz’s unbelief or our unbelief to His promises.  “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.  Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14).  Never before has such a sign been promised, and only once is such a sign fulfilled.  Immanuel, God with us; the Virgin’s womb gives birth and Christ is come!  Mary, the mother of God, is the blessed Virgin who bears the Holy Child.  It is a sign great and glorious, a sign overwhelming and too wonderful to behold, a sign full of promises made and promises fulfilled.  The LORD Himself will give you a sign—He will send you His own Child, His Son, Immanuel.  In Jesus God gives us a sign for all times.

7.                  “To us a child is born, to us a son is given” (9:6).  The sign is given, the sign that is the answer to our quest to know.  Does God look upon His children with favor?  He sent His Son.  Does the LORD love us and desire that we be saved?  He sent His Son.  Does the Almighty consider the condition and the needs of His people?  He sent His Son.  The Virgin has conceived and given birth to a Son—God is with us! 

8.                  The Son is born into our world.  He leaves the Virgin’s womb to travel to the cross and the tomb.  He carries the burden of our sin into the dark places to do battle with the dark forces.  He faces down Satan and backs him into the far recesses of hell; Christ is victorious and proclaims His victory even in the depths of hell.  The LORD has come to be with us, to rescue us, to redeem us, and to restore us; this we know, for we have the sign.  Behold, the virgin has conceived and given birth to a Son.  Immanuel!  God gives us a sign for all times.

9.                  Let us by faith be content to know that God is with us, Jesus our Immanuel. Jesus lived among us. To Philip and the troubled disciples, Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). By faith Jesus lives with us and in us. Jesus is Immanuel. In his mind the thoughts of God resided. In his words he expressed the very truth of God. In his deeds he put the principles of God into action. In his death we find the fullness of the love of God.

10.              And praise the Lord that His plan for our salvation from sin, death, and the power of the devil is carried out whether or not we’re willing to go along with it. The sign didn’t depend on the faith of Ahaz. It would take place as God said it would.  God does give us a sign for all times.  Please pray with me.

11.              Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, You who have become our brother, I praise You for the miracle of coming to us and dwelling among us.  For You it was a monumental sacrifice; for us it is a boundless treasure.  You were impoverished and took upon Yourself the image of a servant.  You made us rich and carried God’s light into our darkness.  You became man.  You were cold and hungry.  You were persecuted and murdered.  Then You made us God’s children.  You gave us back joy and life.  We praise You because You descended into darkness to let the light ascend into eternity.  Amen.