Oh Come Emmanuel - Pastor Bradley Peters

Advent is a holy pause between promises made and promises fulfilled. I invited us to resist the rush to arrive at Christmas too soon and instead to dwell in the hope, peace, joy, and love that mark this season of waiting. Isaiah 7 shows a king, Ahaz, who refuses God’s invitation to trust, yet God still gives a sign: a virgin will conceive, and his name will be Emmanuel—God with us. This hope is rooted in God’s covenant with David (2 Samuel 7) and blossoms in Jesus (Matthew 1), who steps into our real history and secures a future that is more certain than our fears.

Advent trains the heart to live in the “already and not yet”—to celebrate what Christ has accomplished and to long for what he will complete at his return. Jesus’ teaching on the faithful servant calls us to a readiness that is active but unhurried: giving food at the proper time, attending to ordinary faithfulness, and refusing the anxious, distracted life that crowds out love. This season is a gift that reorders our days so we can remember: God is with us, and God is coming to us.

I also urged us to disciple our young people (and ourselves) in an Advent-shaped vision of desire. Holiness is not merely a binary checkbox of clean/unclean; it is the stewardship of longing, the honoring of a gift within its covenant home, and the cultivation of anticipation without premature grasping. Even where innocence has been wounded, grace is stronger. Christ, the Bridegroom, washes his church with the word; his cross claims our failures and gives us a new future. Romans 8 reminds us that all creation groans for redemption—and so do we. Revelation 22 ends with the Spirit and the Bride saying, “Come.” That is our Advent prayer: Come, Lord Jesus. And in that prayer, we find courage for today and hope for tomorrow.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Emmanuel meets us in real crises God’s promise of “God with us” was given in the middle of political fear and personal failure, not in a moment of spiritual triumph. Advent invites us to locate hope in the same place: right where things feel fragile. Faith does not deny the trouble; it insists that Jesus has stepped into it. The sign given to Ahaz now stands at the center of our story. [38:26]
• 2. Advent trains us to wait well Waiting is not passive; it is the practiced alignment of our days with the pace of God’s promises. In the “already and not yet,” we learn patience that is alert, joyful, and rooted in trust. The season rehearses how to hope without hurrying and how to rest without quitting. This is how desire matures instead of breaking. [41:52]
• 3. Holiness reframes desire as stewardship Our bodies and longings are not problems to solve but gifts to steward toward their proper home. Teaching sexual integrity as anticipation rather than as mere prohibition restores dignity to the journey and hope to the struggler. Advent shows us how to honor a gift by not grasping it too soon. Desire becomes worship when it waits. [48:08]
• 4. Grace restores what sin has bent The gospel is not a scorecard; it is a Savior. Where we feel disqualified, Jesus cleanses, reclaims, and re-commissions us, washing his people with the word and clothing us in newness. Advent hope is for those who need a future that isn’t chained to yesterday. Christ’s cross is that future breaking in. [53:02]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [30:06] - Advent, not Christmas yet
• [31:45] - Prayer and caring for mourners
• [33:23] - Ahaz refuses a sign
• [35:57] - God builds David a house
• [38:00] - Emmanuel fulfilled in Jesus
• [40:47] - Living Advent: hope, peace, love
• [42:22] - Resisting busyness; making room
• [45:13] - Faithful servant and readiness
• [48:08] - Advent-shaped view of sexuality
• [53:02] - Grace for those who stumbled
• [54:54] - Creation’s groan and real hope
• [56:36] - Revelation’s invitation: Come
• [58:51] - Come, Lord Jesus! Amen

Bible Reading

Isaiah 7:10-14 — 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Observation Questions

1. What exactly does God offer Ahaz in Isaiah 7:11–14, and how does Ahaz respond to that offer?
2. In the sermon the pastor says Emmanuel’s promise was given “in the middle of political fear and personal failure.” Where in the Isaiah narrative and the sermon is that connection shown? [39:14]
3. What phrase does Isaiah use to rebuke Ahaz and the house of David in verse 13, and what does that reveal about God’s patience and people’s stubbornness?
4. The text uses the name Immanuel (God with us). In light of the passage, what immediate comfort and what long-term hope does that name promise?

Interpretation Questions

1. How should the group understand the sign (a young woman conceiving) as both a near-term sign to Judah and a far-term fulfillment in Christ? (Consider the Davidic promise the pastor referenced.) [37:21]
2. The pastor described Advent as “the already and not yet.” How does Isaiah 7’s sign fit that tension between present trouble and coming deliverance? [41:52]
3. Jesus’ teaching about the faithful servant was used to warn against anxious busyness. How does being a servant who “gives food at the proper time” (Matthew 24) change the way a Christian times their work, rest, and worship during Advent? [45:13]
4. The pastor reframed sexual holiness as “stewardship of longing.” How does that interpretation affect how a church should teach young people about desire and boundaries? [48:08]

Application Questions

1. Name one area in your life right now where you feel political fear, personal failure, or fragility. How will you invite “Emmanuel — God with us” into that situation this week (specific prayer, Scripture, or person to call)? [39:14]
2. Look at your weekly schedule. What is one specific activity you will reduce or remove during Advent so you have at least 30 minutes each week to pause, read Scripture, and wait intentionally for the Lord? Set the day and time now. [41:52]
3. Identify one practical way you can be the “faithful servant” for someone in your sphere during Advent (prepare a meal, check on a neighbor, disciple a younger believer). What will you do, when will you do it, and who will hold you accountable? [45:13]
4. If you are a parent, mentor, or youth leader: what one concrete conversation or boundary will you set this month to teach anticipation and stewardship of desire (for example: a rule about phone use, a regular discipleship check-in, or a discussion about courting vs. casual dating)? Schedule it this week. [48:08]
5. If you have stumbled in sexual sin, pornography, or premarital activity, what is one realistic next step toward restoration you will take this week (confess to a trusted Christian, meet with a pastor/mentor, begin a counseling plan, install accountability software)? Who will you tell and when will you do it? [53:02]
6. The sermon invited us to share the Advent invitation “Come, Lord Jesus” with others. Name one person who does not know the hope of Christ and one specific way you will invite them to hear about that hope before Christmas (a conversation, a card, an event). [58:51]