Ask
Isaiah 7:11 “Ask thee pa sign of the Lord thy God; ||Ask it either qin the depth, or rin the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, sI will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, tO house of David; uIs it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye vweary my God also?” [1]
I. Reiterated
A. Unafraid
B. Unlimited
II. Rejected
A. Uninterested
B. Uninvolved
III. Removed
A. Uninterrupted
B. Unmoved
Introduction: Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1, ":To every thing there is a season, and aa time to every bpurpose under the heaven:” [2] Today we will consider scripture that seems to imply that there are times when we should ask God for a sign so that we will know when and how to proceed. Often signs come when we don’t ask for them as an indication that our faith is well founded faith. That which we believe in is certainly going to happen.
We light these candles which we know as “advent” candles as a sign that Jesus is coming soon. He already came to earth as a child and soon, very soon Jesus will return. The sign of lighting these candles is not for those who don’t believe but they are a sign that we do believe.
Is there ever a time when asking for a sign is not the right thing to do? Matthew 12:38, “ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, xMaster, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, yAn evil and zadulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For aas Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [3]
Jesus knew the hearts of those particular Pharisees. He understood that they were testing Him to show the others that they were superior to Him in their minds. There is a time and a place for things and Jesus knew that this was not a time for a sign just simply for the whim of the unbelievers. Many times we get a sign and it is so subtle that we miss it until later on.
The problem is not that we ask God too much, the problem is that we don’t ask God until we have gotten ourselves in trouble and then we expect Him to come to our rescue. What do you suppose would happen if a person was careful to ask God for direction before proceeding? For that matter, how do we go about asking God?
In Ahaz’s time he had prophets who God spoke through. Isaiah would go to him and tell him what God told him to say. Many years ago I remember a time when the president of the United States would honor a visit from Billy Graham. It didn’t matter who the president happened to be or what political party the president happened to belong to, Billy Graham was an honored guest and his words were valuable. My sister remarked just before Billy Graham passed who God might replace Billy Graham with. It seems to me that there is no person who is respected by any politician the way that Billy Graham was. We have politicians who quote Bible verses for their convenience but it seems nobody in power is really seeking God’s will in government anymore. It seems that when a politician says, “God bless America” that it is more a demand than a request. What do we have today that Ahaz didn’t have back then? Do we have more or less access to God than he had?
Scripture: The focal scripture today is Isaiah 7:11-13. Please stand if you’re able.
Prayer: Let us pray. Be seated.
Message: Notice in verse ten that this was not the first time that God had allowed Ahaz to question what his next step should be. “10 †Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,” [4] Moreover the Lord spoke to Ahaz again. There should have been a familiarity between God and Ahaz. There was no reason to be afraid like the meetings with other people in the Bible that we know about. God reiterated the fact that Ahaz had no reason to be afraid of God. Ask whatever you want to ask. There is no limit to what you might ask and there is no limit to the answer that God is willing to give. Ahaz had an unlimited source of information from the omniscient God and he decided to not ask God anything.
Can you imagine that! You have the source of unlimited knowledge telling you that you can ask Him whatever you want to and you are so into yourself that you refuse counsel from the source of it all! All that I can say about that is this; how stupid is that!
So how did Ahaz respond; I’m not going to ask God and I won’t tempt Him either. Who said anything about tempting God? God told Ahaz that he could trust God. Do you suppose that was Ahaz’ feeble way of justifying why he decided to reject God’s council? Are you afraid of God? Yes the bible says we must fear God but that doesn’t mean that God is a big mean being waiting for you to ask the wrong thing so that He can take out His anger on you.
To think otherwise is to think that God is uninterested in what you are going through. Do you believe that? God sent His only begotten Son to die for your sin on the cross that was designed for you. Of course God is interested in you. He loves you! And to think that God is uninvolved in your life; whose decision is that? To ask God to be involved in your life is not tempting God. Going off in your own direction without including God; that is tempting God. How do I know? Ask me. It is a stupid thing to tell God that you have had enough. He is involved and He knows when your enough is enough. Ask Him!
So let us get back to Ahaz. He was about to be invaded on all sides and God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to be his Billy Graham. Ahaz said that he didn’t need to ask God for any help because Ahaz really didn’t understand who God was and how much God loves. Ahaz made it about himself. God placed Ahaz in the place where Ahaz was to take care of God’s people.
At the end of verse twelve is a period. That means this is the end of a sentence. The beginning of verse thirteen starts with the words,” And he said.” Up to that point it seemed that God was talking directly to Ahaz. Why was Isaiah there? Was it that God was speaking to Ahaz through Isaiah and Isaiah wrote as if God was simply using Isaiah as God’s speaker?
If the speaker that spoke at the beginning of verse thirteen was still Ahaz then there would have been no need to begin a new sentence. It seems clear that it was not Ahaz who spoke verse thirteen. It was either Isaiah speaking for God or God speaking for Himself. At the end of verse thirteen the speaker asks, “Will ye weary my God also?” It seems that this is Isaiah speaking to Ahaz from God.
In any event the object of the sentence has shifted here from Ahaz to the house of David. God was not talking directly to Ahaz anymore. Ahaz had removed Himself from the conversation because God was tired of trying to get Ahaz to listen.
God’s chosen people are the object of God’s attention. We always have been the object of God’s attention. God’s love for His people is uninterrupted no matter who He happens to place in charge over us temporarily. God’s love for us has always been unmoved even though we have seen temporary leaders come and go.
Ahaz decided that he would not ask for God’s advice so it seems that now God had grown weary of Ahaz’ indecision. Now God was turning His attention directly to those He chose for His greatest blessing to man. What is it that God chose the Children of Israel for? Verse fourteen, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you pwa sign; xBehold, ya virgin shall conceive, and bear za son, And ||shall call his name aImmanuel.” [5]
God with us! God has always been with us. God always will be with us unless we individually decide that we do not trust Him. If we decide to follow our own will and attempt to take God’s children to places God has not ordained for us to go, He will remove us from leading His people astray. God will have His way.
Today is the fourth Sunday of the advent which reminds us that Jesus has come and is coming again. Jesus is God’s answer to our greatest question and our greatest need. Because God loves us that much… Merry Christmas.
Prayer:
Invitation: This evening we will meet again in the fellowship hall to celebrate Christmas with each other. There will be food and gifts and the hall is beautifully decorated. We will remember years past when we celebrated Christmas with many who are celebrating in ways that we can’t imagine yet. We are waiting with anticipation to be with our church family and with those who God has given us as our earthly families. This is a wonderful time of the year.
We remember today as the fourth Sunday of advent which reminds us of that other time when Jesus came as a newborn baby. He was born into a sinful world yet Jesus was and is and always will be innocent of all that we are guilty of. Should this be a time of fearful remembrance? No! We will be exchanging gifts this evening and there will be that game of taking what someone else has. Should we be ashamed to partake in such a game? No! It’s a game that we can laugh and enjoy with each other.
We are to celebrate this day as we should every day. Had it not been for Jesus to make the ultimate sacrifice of leaving heaven to come here and die for us, there would be no celebration. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to give us a reason to celebrate. Now because of that most wonderful gift of all we can celebrate life. And we don’t have to look at what someone else has and decide what we might do to have what they have. All we must do is ask and we can have that gift that cannot be acquired in any other way.
The invitation today and tonight is this; as we partake in the game tonight and see the finagling of getting what someone else has that we might want, remember what you have that Jesus paid for. Nobody else has your gift. It is your gift that Jesus gave to you alone. It should be your most cherished gift of all. Just ask Him and He will give it. Eternal life with God… Amen???
p See 2 Kin. 19:29.
|| Or, make thy petition deep. So ch. 30:33. Comp. Rom. 8:39.
q Matt. 12:38, 39.
r Mark 8:11.
s Comp. 2 Kin. 16:7. 2 Chr. 28:16.
t Luke 1:27, 69. & 2:4.
u Num. 16:9.
v Eph. 4:30.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Is 7:11–13). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a ver. 17. ch. 8:6.
b ver. 17. ch. 5:4 (Heb.), 8. & 8:6. & 12:1 (Heb.), 10 marg.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ec 3). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
x ch. 16:1. Mark 8:11, 12. Luke 11:16, 29. John 2:18. & 6:30. 1 Cor. 1:22. So John 4:48.
y To ver. 42, Luke 11:29–32.
z Isai. 57:3. ch. 16:4. Mark 8:38. James 4:4.
a Jonah 1:17.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 12:38–40). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
† Heb. And the Lord added to speak. So Gen. 8:12. & 38:26. ch. 8:5 in the Heb. See Luke 19:11.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Is 7:10). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
p See 2 Kin. 19:29.
w Comp. ch. 8:18.
x Cited Matt. 1:23. So Luke 1:31, 34.
y Gen. 24:43. Ex. 2:8 (Heb.). Ps. 68:25 (Heb.). Pr. 30:19 (Heb.). Cant. 1:3. & 6:8. See Gen. 3:15.
z ch. 9:6.
|| Or, thou, O virgin, shalt call. Gen. 16:11. Comp. Gen. 4:1, 25. & 29:32. & 30:6, 8. 1 Sam. 4:21.
a ch. 8:8, 10 (Heb.).
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Is 7:14). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
