CHRISTMAS INTERLUDE

Resting In Christ's Christmas Messianic Titles

II. Resting In The Mighty God

(Isaiah 9:6; 8:11-17)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Many people think a "Deep State" conspired to commit extensive fraud that altered the results of the election:

(1) A December 9th NPR/Marist poll found that 72% of Republicans don't think Joe Biden defeated President Trump, and 34% of Americans don't believe it, either. (Jason Lemon, "5 Weeks After Election, 72% of Republicans Don't Trust Biden's Victory Over Trump," December 9, 2020; newsweek.com) Also, 17 states last week signed onto a lawsuit by Texas against 4 battleground states (Nichola Rowan, "Seventeen states throw support behind Texas in election lawsuit," December 9, 2020; washingtonexaminer.com) and "106 members of Congress" also "signed onto the case," with "the Congressional Republicans" claiming that "'unconstitutional irregularities' have 'cast doubt' on the 2020 outcome and 'the integrity of the American system of elections.'" (Norman Merchant and Alanna Durkin Richer, "Hundreds of GOP Members Sign Onto Texas-Led Election Lawsuit," December 10, 2020; usnews.com)

(2) Scott S. Powell's article, "The Supreme Court and the Electoral Coup" (American Thinker, December 5, 2020; americanthinker.com) explained that what helps fuel much of this doubt is the belief that President "Trump was targeted from the beginning because he threatened the Deep State, which includes a self-serving elite, their Washington lobbyists, the internationalist establishment in and out of government, the one-sided politically corrupt media, as well as a myriad of unaccountable agencies . . . that now operate with almost no Constitutional constraints."

(3) Evidence of the alleged "Deep State" arguably crops up in the form of brazen contradictions by officials that oppress the public and pander to progressives. Rich Lowry's piece, "Virus restrictions breed backlash" (Ibid., November 25, 2020, p. 10A) reported, (a) "Nov. 12, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told residents of her city: 'You must cancel normal Thanksgiving plans. Particularly if they include guests that do not live in your immediate household.' Yet, just days earlier, she happily joined a crowd celebrating Joe Biden's election victory. Afterward, she said these are times when 'we actually do need to have relief and come together,' without explaining why this wide-ranging justification wouldn't apply to the Thanksgiving gatherings she wanted to cancel." (b) Mr. Lowry added that "public-health experts . . . poured cold water on masks before turning around and insisting on them despite ambiguous evidence on the efficacy of cloth masks. They preached the gospel of social distancing until mass Black Lives Matter protests erupted, blessing these huge, often unruly gatherings because fighting racism supposedly is a paramount public-health issue," Ibid. (c) A letter by Tim Pelletier of Watertown (Ibid., Republican-American, December 7, 2020, p. 8A) complained that after Joe Biden's "dismal showing in the primaries" and "somehow" managing to get his party's nomination, only to hunker down in his basement for much of the campaign, and upon coming out see that "his drive-up 'rallies' couldn't fill up our local CVS parking lot," the "news media" still expects "us to believe he legitimately received . . . 15 million more votes than former President Barak Obama!" Tim responded, "C'mon, man."

Need: So we ask, "What would God have us do about an alleged 'Deep State' conspiracy of vast election fraud?!"

I. The people of Judah called a perceived threat to their nation's welfare a conspiracy, Isaiah 8:11-12 ESV:

A. God told Isaiah not to call a conspiracy all that the people called a conspiracy -- not to fear their fear, v. 11-12.

B. We know from Isaiah 8:18 ESV that the people's fear behind this matter arose from threats to their security:

1. Isaiah with his two sons became signs from God to Judah, illustrations of His message to the nation, and those names clarified God's intent to protect Judah from the military harm that she feared (as follows):

a. Isaiah's son named "Shear-Jashub" meant "a remnant [of Judah] shall return," illustrating "the prophet's message" that "Judah would not be destroyed by the Aram-Israel alliance" that was formed to attack Judah and install a puppet king in Jerusalem in place of Judah's king Ahaz, Isaiah 7:1-6; B. K. C., O. T., p. 1047.

b. The name of Isaiah's son "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz" meant "the spoil speeds, the prey hastens" (Isa. 8:3 ESV ftn.), illustrating how Assyria would break the Aram-Israel alliance and plunder them, Ibid., p. 1050.

c. Isaiah's name meant, "Yahweh is salvation" (Ibid., p. 1052), promising God's deliverance for Judah!

C. What Judah's people then called "conspiracy" was Isaiah's preaching that they trust God instead of hiring Assyria to destroy the Aram-Israel coalition! (Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 1974, vol. I, p. 310)

II. In CONTRAST to this talk of conspiracy, Messiah as MIGHTY GOD would deliver Judah from her foes:

A. Contrary to God's will, Judah's king Ahaz decided faithlessly to hire the empire of Assyria to attack the Aram-Israel coalition and thereby defend his nation against their intended invasion of Judah, 2 Kings 16:7-9.

B. However, in Isaiah 10:20-21, God announced that one day Judah's people would no longer rely on Assyria, the nation that would strike the Kingdom of Israel down, but that they would rely on Him, the "Mighty God," 'El gibbor, "the Holy One of Israel," the Lord God Himself, Isaiah 10:21! (Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, p. 623)

C. This 'El gibbor is introduced as the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6 by the same name, El gibbor! (Ibid., p. 621)

D. Applied to the issue of the people's calling Isaiah's message a "conspiracy," God wanted the godly remnant in Judah, including Isaiah's family, to rely on Him, El gibbor, for security from all their enemies, Isaiah 8:13-17:

1. God's Isaiah 8:13 call to let the Lord of Hosts be "your fear" and "your dread" (KJV) was to Judah's godly remnant, for both pronominal suffixes "your" here are plural, Ibid., p. 619; Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., p. 1051.

2. Thus, Isaiah in Isaiah 8:14a wrote that God would be his sanctuary from destruction, and in verses 16-17 that he would "long for" (hanah, B. D. B., A Heb. and Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 314) and "wait eagerly for" (qanah, Ibid., p. 875-876) God to rescue him from the Aram-Israel coalition and even from Assyria!

3. In contrast, Judah's unbelievers would see God become a Source of their great discipline, Isaiah 8:14b-15.

Lesson: Instead of fearing an alleged national conspiracy, God wanted His people in Judah to rely on El gibbor, the Mighty God, Who is our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, for their nation's national security and blessing.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) Instead of getting worked up over conspiracies, may we like Isaiah and Judah's godly remnant "wait eagerly for" El gibbor, the Mighty God, Christ, to help and to bless us!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

Though we have often taught that the Revelation 3:14-22 prophecy of our Church era indicates that we will face oppressive intrigue from leaders in society, Scripture is silent about any election conspiracy. However, that same Revelation passage does offer signals that guide us on what to do WERE a conspiracy to EXIST (as follows):

(1) First, we know that the "overcomer(s)" of our era will have a ministry akin to both that of Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards, for the Greek phrase hos ka'go ("even as I Myself") exists only in Revelation 3:21 for our era and in Revelation 2:27 of Luther's era of the Revelation 2-3 messages to the 7 churches, and the Greek phrase met' emou ("with Me") in Revelation 3:20 for our era occurs only in Revelation 3:4 of Edwards' era of the 7 church eras.

(2) Then, reviewing Church History, we note that God used the preaching and writings of both Luther and Edwards, both men ministered in eras of government upheaval or threatening government upheaval where there either existed or would come to exist a vacuum of trust in leaders in society, and God used both men to fill that vacuum.

(a) In Luther's case, Europe had long been oppressed under the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor, so when Luther publicly burned the pope's bull of excommunication against him, "(a) thrill went through Europe when it learned that a man with no more weight behind him than his faith in God had burned a papal bull. It was the fiery signal of emancipation. The individual soul had discovered its true value and therefore its authority. If the Reformation can be dated precisely, that date must be December 10, 1520," 500 years ago this last Thursday! (James Atkinson, The Great Light: Luther and Reformation, 1968, p. 63) "If eras can be dated, our modern era began at nine o'clock that morning." (Ibid.) Thus, we should not be dismayed to witness a growing deterioration in trust people have of leaders in society, especially if a "Deep State" is involved in producing it, for God might well allow such an entity some room to function to form that vacuum of trust in order to make God's use of godly men with His truth fill that vacuum with great impact! We pastors and believers in the Church must live godly lives and stay committed to God's work so He might use us to fill the rising vacuum of trust with God's truth!

(b) In Jonathan Edwards' case, his ministry came 25 years before the British Parliament began to oppress the American colonies by enforcing its infamous Stamp Act that helped foster the American Revolution (Edward McNall Burns, Western Civilizations, 1963, p. 768-771). Also, America and England possessed a deteriorating Church and an increase in vice. (A. Skevington Wood, The Inextinguishable Blaze, 1968, p. 17-56) However, God used Edwards' sermons and writings to become highly influential in the Great Awakening to unify believers in the colonies as a basis of unifying the colonies after the Revolution that the United States might be formed as a united land of religious liberty. (Wm. W. Sweet, The Story of Rel. in America, 1973, p. 172-173; Ibid., Wood, p. 66). We should thus not be shocked to see God allow a decline in godliness in society and a decline in trust in society's ungodly leaders due to "Deep State" activity that He might make the ministry of His servants who preach His Word even more effective! We church leaders and church members must function faithfully in our ministries for God to use us.

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life. May we in our needy era then "wait eagerly for" Messiah, the Mighty God, to bless and use us!