u2N8VzcmV-I

Well, good evening again. And howdy. Please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 8:18. One of the things that happens when I'm studying through a book in the New Testament, the book of Hebrews, they like to quote the Old Testament. And when they do, I really like to spend time understanding the Old Testament passage that they quoted.

Such happened this morning in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 12. He quotes Isaiah 8, 18, part of it. Let me just read that to you. Isaiah 8, verse 18. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells on Mount Zion.

Just talked about life being a trajectory into greater sanctification, greater joy, death being a trajectory into greater corruption, greater misery, greater isolation from God. Where are you today? What is your trajectory? It doesn't matter how old. I think you saw tonight that God changes. Our trajectories in various times of life, even very young.

But this verse: Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies. Who are these children that Isaiah speaks about? Well, he has two of them. And how can they be described as signs and wonders in Israel, and what lessons can we learn from them?

You know what? I've been looking forward to this message because, you know, it's very unusual that I get to preach a sermon right after baptisms. Because usually we move on to something else, and usually we do. So my sermon, guess what, is directed to two people tonight: Azariah and Eli.

My sermon is directed toward you. I want to address you as those who have just been baptized. Isaiah had two children. You see, two disciples of the Lord that sprung forth in our midst. And of course, this applies to everyone else. But I do want to address you.

What does this new life in Christ look like? Well, trusting Emmanuel. Trusting Emmanuel is the message. That was the message this morning. Morning. The message in Psalm 22 that we looked at this morning from the author of Hebrews. It's the message of Isaiah 7, 8, and 9. Rich text.

A rich text of scripture. It's in chapters 7 through 9 of Isaiah that the world is given the sign of Emmanuel. What does the sign of Emmanuel mean? What does Emmanuel mean? God with us. You ought to know that. Go to a church called Emmanuel. God with us.

And He's with us by His grace because it's not, it's in spite of us, but He is with us. That's His promise. But before we talk about the two children of Isaiah, I want to talk about Emmanuel. It's in chapter 7 and verse 14 that we read these wonderful words.

Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with a child and bear a son, and she will call his name Emmanuel. The angel tells Joseph in Matthew chapter 1 and 23 that Mary, in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, the promise of Emmanuel, that Mary.

Has conceived as a virgin, a child, and she will bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which translated means God with us. Not only will she bear, will she conceive a son in her virginity, but she will bear a child in her virginity. His name, his very name, Emmanuel, is a call to trust in God.

To change that trajectory of further isolation from God, but that call to turn, because of him, to turn to God in life. He is God with humanity. God took upon flesh. He is with us. And listen, he is with us, okay? Just as he told Ahaz in Isaiah 7, God is with us.

We cannot escape the reality of his presence. You can either meet him as your adversary, you can meet him as your disciplinarian, or you can meet him as your comforting and gracious helper in time of need. But you can't get away from him. And those who do not trust in him inevitably trust in someone.

Else. You're not trusting in God. Guess what? You're trusting your worst enemy. And that's what happens in our passage tonight. You will either trust in Emmanuel, you're going to go through life, Azariah and Ellie, you're going to go through life either trusting Emmanuel or trusting your worst enemy.

So tonight's message is about trusting Emmanuel, trusting the God who is with us. And this is Isaiah's whole message to King Ahaz and the nation of Israel and the message to us tonight. In fact, Isaiah's very name means the Lord is salvation. But trust and salvation go together.

And so what I want to say to you tonight who are baptized and to everyone else who has been baptized and who everyone who is thinking about it, I want to encourage you to always trust that God is with you. Always trust that God is with you no matter what you face in life.

And you're going to face some doozies. But always trust that God is with you no matter what you face in life. And to do this, I want to do four things. I want to introduce you to Isaiah's two children. I want You to know why they were given such strange names.

I want you to see how important their lives were. And then I want to give you a vision for the high calling that is on your life. So, first of all, I want to look at Isaiah's two children: Shir Jeshub. That's the first one. Meet him in Isaiah 7:3.

Let me just read to you. Yeah, well, I'll just introduce him to you. You see him there in chapter 7 and verse 3. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now and meet Ahaz, you and your son, Shir Jeshub, at the end of the conduit. So go meet.

Take Shir Jeshub. That's his name. His name means a remnant shall return. We can just call him Remy. Imagine how that conversation started. Ahaz. Let me introduce to you my son. His name's A Remnant Shall Return. If you know the context, that would probably be kind of scary for Ahaz.

Remnant, what does that mean? Only a small amount is going to return. A remnant shall return, shall return. What does that mean? That implies that there's a departure and then there's a return. In Texan, we might say it like this. Only a small amount. Small amount of you are coming back.

So that could be ominous, only a small amount, but encouraging in the sense that y'all are coming back. You're going to disappear from the land, but you are coming back. There's a second son, Mahur Shalahashbaz. I don't hear that one used very much. In Isaiah 8:1, we meet him, and his name means swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.

That's a name you don't hear much. There goes swift is the booty. Speedy is the prey. The Lord said to me in Isaiah 8:1, take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters, swift is the booty, speedy is the prey, and I will take to myself a faithful witness for testimony.

Uriah the priest, Zechariah, and so he takes these high priests to record. Make sure you get this down, and then he says in verse 3, she gave birth to a son, and the Lord said to me, Name him Mahershalahashbaz. Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. In Texan, we might say, Bam, there went all your stuff.

That's kind of what name means. You can just call him Swifty. Think about Remy and Swifty. That's the two sons. Okay? Now, why were they given such strange names? Why were they given such strange names? Well, their names prophetically describe world events. And they were given names that would describe things that God knew was coming on the world scene.

And they were given these names to encourage people to trust in Emmanuel. So, go to chapter 7, verse 1. And let me tell you how this first son is brought on the scene, Rimi. Shir Jashu. You see, Ahaz is having a panic attack. He's having, he's shaking. Look at verse 1.

Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Reason, the king of Aram, Ampek, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. When it was reported to the house of David, saying, The Arameans have camped at Ephraim, his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.

Y'all see the wind this morning blowing through that big front come through? Leaves, wind, trees shaking. Well, that's what was. Happening to the people of Jerusalem. They were very afraid because an army, two kings, had joined forces and they wanted to destroy Jerusalem and remove the king and put another king in his place.

And so Ahaz had two choices. He could either trust God or he could trust his worst enemy. Because there's this threat, two kings coming against him, and he could either trust God or trust his worst enemy. His worst enemy was Tiglath Galaser. He was the king of the Assyrians.

Okay, so in case that didn't hit you, let's talk about this. Here's King A, Ahaz. Okay, think about Ahaz. There he is. Now, what's happened? He's really afraid. Because kings B and King C have joined forces. That's the king of Aram, or also called Syria, Reason, and Pekah, the king of Israel's northern tribes.

So those two have joined forces to kill Ahaz, King A. So, there's another king, King D. We can call him. This is Tigilath Palazar. I call him just D for death. Think about him. And by the way, he had a really big army. Okay? So, if you get this picture, by the way, I know this is, don't let the vibe fool you.

We're getting into some deep theology here, okay? Just want to help you sort this out in your mind, okay? So, you got King A, who's being threatened by King B and King C, and he is wondering: should he make an alliance with King D? And Isaiah is sent to him.

No, you can trust in God. Don't trust King D. He is your worst enemy, king of Assyria. And so, if you just want to see where these guys show up on a mat, there's Ahaz down there in Jerusalem. Just to the north, you have king of Samaria, king of Damascus, and Assyria there, and with his big army.

And what's going to happen is he's going to sweep in from the north, he's going to wipe out Syria, he's going to wipe out Israel, and he's going to come all the way down. If you follow the narrative, it's going to sound like a big flood of water coming into the land of Israel, all the way up to the neck, the neck being Jerusalem.

And that's when Sennacherib is going to say, I have Hezekiah shut up like a bird in a cage, and no one can deliver Hezekiah. No one can deliver. And it's then that the angel of the Lord goes out and kills 180,000 of the Assyrian troops and puts them all in.

But that's what he's talking about prophetically in these chapters. Now, let's come back. Why were they given such strange names? Well, Isaiah came in chapter 3. Look at verse 3 of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 7, verse 3. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out and meet Ahaz, you and your son, Shir Jeshub.

So Isaiah came to meet Ahaz. He's probably looking at the upward aqueduct because he's about to be sieged, and he wants to make sure they're going to have water. So he goes up there and he meets them, and he takes his son, Shir Jeshub. Remember what he means?

A remnant, only a remnant is going to return. It says to verse 3: Go out and meet him at the end of the conduit, at the upper pool, on the highway to the fooler's field, and say to him, Now remember, he's having a severe panic attack. He is shaking.

He is afraid. And what does he say? Forth, take care. It's a good thing to say to somebody who's really afraid. Be calm. Have no fear. Do not be faint-hearted. That's a very comforting word from the Lord to Ahaz. Because of these two smoldering stubs, firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of these two kings.

In verse 7, he says, it's not going to come to pass, because you know what they want to do? They want to put another king in place of the Davidic house. They want to put, in other words, they want to topple the king and put in another non-Davidic king.

And Isaiah is saying, it is not going to come to pass because God has made a promise to the house of David. And these kings, all of them, King A, B, I mean, King B, C, and D are all getting in the way of God's plan. And that's what happens.

Within 65 years, King A, King B, and King C are going to be shattered by Assyria. Peka will be shattered. Won't even be a people. Look what it says in verse 8. For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is reason. Now within an Another 65 years, Ephraim will be shattered, that's King B, will be shattered so that it is no longer a people.

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And then he says this at the end of verse 9: If you will not believe, you will surely not last. If you will not trust in Emmanuel, if you will not trust that God is with us, you will not last.

And so that's exactly what takes place. And he tells him at the end of verse 16, chapter 16, he says, the boy, speaking of the boy, and I believe Shur Jashu, he says, before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose the good, the land in whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

In other words, in a very short time, these kings are going to be gone. Then, there's the second son, remember? Maharshalah Hashbaz. This is speedy or swifty. He says this, go back to Isaiah 8:1. The Lord said to me, Take for yourself a large table. And write on it, swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.

And then in verse 4, his name is given as Maher Shalah Hashbabs, which means swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. And he explains why in verse 4 of chapter 8. For before the boy knows how to cry out, my father or my mother, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.

Now, how long does it take? You guys have little brothers and little sisters. How long does it take for a little one to be able to say, My father or my mother? Ten years? Less, right? Just a little while, right? And that's what the second son, swift is the booty, speedy is the prey, swifty.

That's what he is saying. Is look, you're afraid of these kings, but let me tell you what's going to happen to Damascus within probably three years or less, all of his wealth. In Texan, we might say, there goes all your stuff. So don't be afraid of these kings because in just a short while, all of his stuff is going to be gone, the whole thing.

All of that was a call for Ahaz. To trust in God. Do you think this changed Ahaz? No, it didn't. There's Ahaz. So what does he do? He reaches out, and look at what he says. I'll just put it up here in 2 Kings 16, 7. He says this to Tiglath-Pelaser, the king of Assyria.

He said, I am your servant and your son. Come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who were rising up against me. In other words, I'm not going to trust in God. I'm going to trust who is going to amount to be his worst enemy, who's going to come down after he wipes out kings B and C, guess what he's going to do?

He's going to come down and take over the whole territory of King A. Except if it wasn't for the angel of the Lord coming in and killing off the Assyrian massive army, there wouldn't be anything left. But all that to say from the very beginning, this is what Isaiah was trying to say.

You can trust Yahweh. Don't worry about King B. Don't worry about King C, and don't worry about King D. There is a greater king who is over all of these, and he calls you to trust in him. And that's the message to you all tonight. No matter what you face in life, trust in him because he's the greatest king.

Now, we've looked at Isaiah's two children. We've looked at why they were given such strange names. Now I want you to see how important their lives were. And this takes us to our text, Isaiah 8, verse 18. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells on Mount Zion.

What does that mean? Behold, he's saying, look, take, look, and see the two children that God has given me. And this could extend to a greater number of people who trusted in Isaiah, but certainly it includes these two children, and they are given as signs and wonders. Now, what does sign mean?

A sign is like a banner statement from heaven, like a big neon light. Take a look at these. It's a supernatural act, and it's like he's emphasizing a message. Signs and wonders. Wonders are extraordinary events. So these children are for signs and wonders. Look, in Israel. They're designed to get Israel's attention.

Talking about national Israel here, Judah, and the northern tribes. But you think about this. How? How can these kids be signs and wonders? Well, think about it. Everywhere where Mahar, Shalah, Hashbaz went, his name went with him. Even long after Isaiah is gone, his life, his name, was a testament to a historical event that was prophesied beforehand.

What's your name, young man? Swift is the booty. Speedy is the prey. Well, that's an odd name. Where'd you get that from? Well, my dad was a true prophet. How old are you? He gives them the age. Oh, so the destruction of Damascus happened after you were given that name.

Yes. Why is that? Because my dad was a true prophet. Well, what else did he say? Well, he said through my brothers, he also spoke through my brother's name, Shir Jeshub, Remi. What did he say? That a remnant will return. There will be a disappearance from the land, and there will be a reappearance.

That God is not done with Israel. Their lives, everywhere they went, were a testimony that God was not done with Israel. Well, what else did he say? Well, to the house of David, he said this. He said that the virgin is going to give birth to a child and name him Emmanuel.

And in chapter 9, we read more about him. Verse 6: A child will be born to us. The government will be upon his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on forevermore.

Wow. Swift as the booty, speedy as the prey, you sure have a lot to say, don't you? What else did he say? Well, he said there's a glorious future for all nations, for those who put their trust in him. What else did he say? Just go read the book.

Their very presence testified to the goodness of God and called people to trust in them. Their very names, that's how they were signs and wonders in Israel. Everywhere they went, they were a testimony to the God who is good, to the God who can tell of future events before they happen, and to call people to put their faith and trust in him.

Okay, so we've looked at Isaiah's two children. You with me so far? We looked at why they were given such strange names. Now we see how important their lives were. Now, I want to give a vision to y'all about the high calling on your life. Azariah, Ellie, I want you to get this vision of your life and everybody else, because this is for us.

In Hebrews 2:13, this is one of the verses we looked at this morning. This verse refers to the followers of Christ. And that's what you all are: followers of Christ. Just as Isaiah's children were for signs and wonders in their own times, you are for signs and wonders in your time.

And what I mean by that is: just as Isaiah's children were living testimonies to their families first, I want you guys to be living testimonies to your families and to the communities that you're in, that God is good and that God can be trusted. Each of you are to be a living testimony that God is good and that He can be trusted no matter where you go.

And just As God used Isaiah's children to make sure that Isaiah's prophecies would not be forgotten, God intends to use you to make sure that your world knows that it has not seen the last of Jesus Christ. You're to be a testimony that says there's more to come.

Jesus has unfinished business, and he is coming again. And your lives are to be those testimonies. By trusting in God, by trusting in the God who is with us, you make sure that the world knows that they have not seen the last of Jesus Christ. So, here's my message to you: trust Emmanuel.

He is with you. No matter what comes in life, let this settle in your mind. You can trust Emmanuel. He is with you. Live for him. Live for him. And he will use you to cause others to trust in him. That's what a sign and wonder is about.

He will use you to call other people out of the grave, out of that trajectory of greater corruption and greater misery, which ends up in ultimate judgment and forever in a state of hostility to God. Your life as living. Living testimonies can be that impetus, that thing that God uses to turn a heart to himself.

So as they come out of death, into life, into a greater trajectory of being sanctified and experiencing joy. So trust in him. He is with you. Live for him. It's been a privilege to be here with you all tonight. Let me pray. Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks for your great goodness to us.

We thank you for these tonight who have put their faith and trust in you. We commend them to you with all of the grace and with all of the power and everything and all the good intentions and every good blessing from heaven. We call upon you to bestow it upon them, Father, and upon all of us who have put our faith and trust in you.

We ask for your consecrated blessing and deliberate, intentional work and help in our lives to walk in your ways, to be further and further sanctified and find our joy in you. We thank you, Father. We thank you for the message of Emmanuel. We know you're with us, and we thank you.

In Jesus' name, amen. Okay, friends. Go and be blessed. God is with you.