======================================================================== A SON FOR A SIGN by Keith Malcomson ======================================================================== Summary: This sermon focuses on the significance of dedicating a child to the Lord, drawing parallels to the biblical stories of Isaiah's sons as signs to the nation. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's signs and prophecies in the current world events, urging listeners to choose to believe in God's word and prepare for the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. Topics: "Child Dedication", "Recognizing God's Signs" Scripture References: Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:18, John 3:16, Joshua 24:15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DESCRIPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This sermon focuses on the significance of dedicating a child to the Lord, drawing parallels to the biblical stories of Isaiah's sons as signs to the nation. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's signs and prophecies in the current world events, urging listeners to choose to believe in God's word and prepare for the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You're very welcome this morning to, or I should say semi-afternoon, to this baby dedication. We do not baptize children. We don't christen children. The Bible actually says that an individual man or woman must repent of their sin, believe or put faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then as an outward mark that they have decided and that it's of their own volition is to be baptized in water. And so that for us is a very special thing that when a person comes of age and makes their own choice and decision and says, I want to follow Christ, that's what we keep water baptism for. But here this morning we are going to dedicate baby Elias to the Lord just as Mary did with baby Jesus when she took him to Jerusalem to offer him up or to dedicate him or to commit him into the hands of God. And that's what we do this morning. It's a very precious thing that we come to offer this child up to the Lord. But before we do, I just want to go to the Bible and preach. I was going to say, I want you to turn in the best in 2022's bestseller. That's what I was going to say, because see this book was this year's bestseller above any other individual book. Last year, it was the bestseller probably, and I've got a pretty good chance of being 100% correct. It'll be the best sell sold book in the world next year beyond any, any other. It's a remarkable thing. I want you here for a moment to turn to the book of Isaiah chapter seven, Isaiah chapter seven, and also Isaiah chapter eight. And I have a very special message here. Last year, months before this time, and when baby Elias was being carried in Hannah in her womb, this message come to me suddenly. I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't praying about it. I wasn't thinking about it. And suddenly this message come. I wasn't looking in this spot. I've never preached from this spot. I sort of argued with God a little bit and lost that as you're going to see, but I want to make an apology for this message. I don't apologize for the message. I don't apologize for the Bible, but I want to apologize for the message. It's unusual. It's a bit different. I tried to get out of it this week, but I couldn't because it came so strong months ago that I know this is a word for Soph and Hannah and baby Elias and you as a family and us as a church. And so I believe it's the right message, but please understand, I would rather not preach this. I've got a hundred other things I would much rather preach right now, which would be easier. So that's my apology. Will you accept it before I preach this morning? And please be very gracious with me because it's a bit unusual and a bit different and I'm trembling and going there, but I believe it's right for this time. And I'm utterly sincere and hard. My message this morning is the title. I don't believe there's accidents with God. There's a reason a son for a sign. Read it in Isaiah chapter seven verse three. And it says, then said the Lord unto Isaiah go forth now to meet Ahaz thou and Sherod Jashub thy son at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field and say unto him, take heed and be quiet. Fear not neither be faint hearted for the two tales of those smoking firebrands for the fierce anger of resin with Syria and the son of Romalia. And I'm going to explain this shortly. So don't worry. And then chapter 17 verse 14, the next verse, all of yous have heard and all of yous know chapter seven, verse 14. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. And then last of all chapter three, sorry, chapter eight and verse three. And it says, I went onto the prophetess and she conceived and bear a son. Then said the Lord to me, call his name Maher Shala Hashbaz. Hope you all got that this morning. Let's just pray. Father, we thank you for the word of God and father, I do pray Lord God that even this child that we dedicate to you would be a sign because of his life and his character, even from a little boy as he grows up in the house of God, that he would be different. He would be unusual, nor God that he would be special, that he'd be unique and Lord God that even his life, how he speaks and acts and lives out his life, that it will be a message, a sign Lord God, not just because of parents or a church, but because of God's hand being upon him, there'd be a special sign in this unique decade and in this unique generation that we are now living in. We pray that you bless your word to us this morning in Jesus name. Amen. My message is a sign, sorry, a son for a sign. I'm going to deal with three sons that are mentioned in Isaiah 7, 8 and chapter 9. Three unique sons are mentioned. Two of those sons I'm going to struggle pronouncing their name correctly. I may even, if I repeat the name, say it differently at different times, so please be gracious with me. One of those names is actually considered the longest word in the Bible and the longest name in the Bible and we're going to deal with it here for a moment, but listen to what it says in Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 18. Behold and it's Isaiah the prophet, a real man of God who preached during the reign of four kings of Judah and then as he lived his old life at the very end of his life as an old prophet of God, he was under the young king Manasseh and Manasseh had him killed. He actually had Isaiah the prophet here put in a hollow, empty, long log and he had the log cut in two. That's how he finished his days, but he preached under the reign of five separate kings. Listen to what he says in Isaiah 8 and verse 18. Behold I, that is Isaiah, and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts which dwelleth in Mount Zion. You know what Isaiah was saying? God gave me two children, two young boys, two men children and you know what? There's something unusual about these two boys. They're not just another baby, not just another child, these two sons that God has given me are actually, God has a plan in their life. They are unique and unusual because of the hour and the generation we live and so God says here through Isaiah, these sons have been given to me as signs to the entire nation and to all those that hear it and see it and you know what? These two sons are going to be signs. What's a sign? It's an indicator and so when he says this little boy of mine, these two sons, when you look at their lives and you listen to them and you hear the meaning of their names, there is a message within them. They embody something God is saying to that generation and so he says here my two sons are gonna be like signs to this generation. Then listen what it says in Luke chapter 2 about the Lord Jesus Christ as a baby and Simon, an old man of God, blessed them and said unto Mary his mother, behold the child, that is Jesus, is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Do you realize God gave Jesus as a baby through Mary as a sign? In other words, you can't be indifferent towards Jesus. His life, his words, his attitude, his lifestyle, his message, everything about baby Jesus you're gonna have to respond to because God has raised Christ up to be a sign just like Isaiah's children and you know what all of these little babies when they're given, God had set his hand upon them. You know all through the Bible names are very important. Name denotes character. So when you named your child, you didn't call it Dagon or you didn't call it Baal. You actually try to call it a spiritual name because it had meaning and if you were a mother or a father who walked with God and believed that God speaks to you and reveals his will and can show you things that are going to happen, you would actually pray and say, oh God, give us the right name for our child. We want a name that represents what you're going to do in that child and so in the Old Testament there was a man called Enoch who walked very close to God and he had his first son. Do you know what he called his first son? He called him Methuselah and do you know why he called him Methuselah? It's not a normal name. There's not many Methuselah's around today but the name Methuselah means when he dies it is going to come. Do you know what was going to come? Enoch knew a day of judgment's coming. A day when God is going to pour out his wrath. You see God is very kind and loving and gracious and good but a day comes when people when they reject that and they want to live their own way and the world becomes more and more wicked and depraved and it becomes dangerous for children. You know what God says? I've had enough and that happens at certain times in history. Do you know Methuselah in the Bible and in world history is the oldest man in all of history. He lived to an older age than anybody else recorded in the Bible and that's why we say in our culture as old as Methuselah because he was the oldest man. You know what God was saying? He revealed to his father when this child that you're holding in your hands dies it's all over. I'm going to send judgment and you know what happened? You know about the worldwide flood, about the ark of Noah. Noah came out from Methuselah. He was a part of this family and you know Noah growing up as a young boy goes as soon as he dies judgment is coming on this earth. The world is getting very wicked very evil and God is going to do something and so Methuselah was a sign. In other words when you looked at Methuselah and heard his name Methuselah, Methuselah where are you? When he dies see how gracious God is that he extended the life of that man. You know why? Because every one of you in this room he gives you an awful lot of opportunities and he'll give you time and time and time even when you don't listen and you don't respond and you don't accept it and you carry on and you ignore it. I mean God really having a deal with you and you carry on like that. Do you know what? He's still gracious and he's still good and he's still kind and he still comes looking for you but a time comes where he says no more. Your last chance has been given and that's what happens. But I want to bring you to three sons mentioned in these chapters and they're very unique sons. So Isaiah I want to deal with his two sons here and why they're signs and what their name actually means. The first son is mentioned in chapter 7 verse 3. His name is Shereshah Jashub. The second son is mentioned in verse 14. His name is Emmanuel and the third son is mentioned in chapter 8 verse 3 and his name is Mahar Shalal Hashbaz and you can't say it any better than me so don't laugh at me. These three sons are mentioned here but only two of them belong to Isaiah and Isaiah says they're going to be signs. The first one here Shereshah his name means a remnant shall return. Do you know what was happening here when Isaiah went to King Ahaz? Ahaz was the king of Judah. Now let me explain something here. Israel had been split in two. Ten tribes were in the north. They are called Israel. Here in Jerusalem two of the tribes split and they're called Judah and King Ahaz is the king of that southern kingdom or in the city of Jerusalem. Just above them is Israel. They were apostate. They followed all of the gods. They had turned away from the God of the Bible and there was another nation called Syria. Syria and Israel joined together and they wanted Judah and King Ahaz to join them and said we're going to all join together and we're going to fight the Russia or maybe the America of that generation. You've got to be careful in these days. The superpower of that generation was a Syria and so Syria, Israel joined together and says we're going to fight them and Judah we want you to join us as well. King Ahaz you need to join us and we're going to fight this rising superpower that's trying to gobble up all the nations and take over. Well Isaiah goes to King Ahaz. You know what he's doing? He's outside the city walls and he's looking at the water source of the Gion Springs and he's going do you know what? I said no to Israel and I said no to Syria. Do you know what happened? They joined together and said we're going to march against Judah, take over the nation, put in a puppet king, our own man, and then we're going to fight a Syria. So here's the per king called Ahaz who says I believe the Bible. I believe in the real God but he didn't live it and he didn't really believe it. Outwardly he wore his religion as a coat. He wore it on a Sunday and then went home and threw it in the corner. His religion was mere hypocrisy and outward. It was mere head knowledge. It wasn't reality or life and so Isaiah finds him at this time and you know what he's thinking? He's going you know what? I'm not joining with them. Maybe I need to make a deal with this Syria. They're a wicked people. They're an evil nation. They're against my God but I can work out a deal politically and then we can fight my enemies Israel which are on my northern border and this is how he's thinking. Politics can be a dangerous thing and this is when Isaiah comes to him and we are told here in Isaiah chapter 7 verse 3 that God tells Isaiah make sure you take your son with you, your little boy. Make sure you carry him or drag him whichever is easiest and you take him to the king and you go deliver a message to the king because it's a desperate hour and so he takes his little boy Sir Joshua and he presents him, goes to the king. You know why? That little baby, that little boy is a sign to the king over everything that's happening in that generation. God actually gave him a name that has a meaning and it's very important for that hour. You know what his name means? It means a remnant shall return. It means see this king Ahaz. He's destroyed religion in the land. He's compromised it. He said you can believe anything. You can live any way. You can act any way. You can be half-hearted but you'll still go to heaven. You'll be fine. You don't need to believe the Bible but you could say you believe in the God of the Bible. You can live your own life but you could say I'm good enough to go to heaven and I'll be fine and I'm sure we all just hope anyway. That's the sort of man Ahaz was and here comes Isaiah with his little baby boy and you know what he's saying? This little boy has a message for you that a remnant is going to return. Do you know what a remnant? A small group of this nation, the real, those who really believe in God, those who really believe in the Bible. You know most of it, you're going to get in real trouble in this hour because this isn't like any other hour. There are world powers. There's world governments. Wars are coming. Famines are coming. Terrible things are going to happen in this hour and it's just ahead but you know out of this, if you walk with God, if you're faithful to God, you know what? You're going to be part of a small remnant of real believers in God and it doesn't matter what happens in your generation. You'll be standing when everyone else has left, has died, has perished. You're still going to be standing all through this and Isaiah said to him, he says in verse four, take heed and be quiet. Fear not, neither be faint-hearted. King Ahaz was fainting. All these armies are marching against me. What am I going to do? We're going to get destroyed here. He was scared in his heart. God sent a prophet to speak to him and said, you don't need to be scared. You don't need to throw in the towel. I've got a message for you. There's a way for a real remnant to come right back to God again and they're going to walk with God. He says in verse seven, thus saith the Lord God, it shall not stand. All the plants of the enemy. If you believe God, I mean, if you believe this Bible and say, I believe it, it's crazy to do this, you know, to stand against Syria and Assyria and Israel and you're a small people and to say, why not pray? Why not believe the Bible? Why not repent and believe in God? Oh no, we need to be practical. We need to think in a normal way. But you know, Isaiah, he was saying, if you listen to God, there is a way back. And listen to what he says here. For the head of Assyria is Damascus. It's going to be destroyed. He gives a prophecy saying in 65 years, both of these nations, Syria and Israel that you're scared of is going to be no more. Both their kings are going to be no more. This little boy that I am holding, who is my son, a remnant is going to return, but your enemies are going to be utterly destroyed. Now, either you're going to believe God or you're going to live your own life. You're going to do one of these two things. And he says, if you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. Listen, that's the prophecy that was given. Isaiah spoke this prophecy in the year 734 BC. Listen to what happens just right after this. Assyria, the superpower, defeated Syria two years later in the year 732. It's in the history books. It's a fact. And then they invaded Israel in 722 and defeated them. In other words, in a short period of time, their two great enemies were utterly defeated by Assyria as God had prophesied. If he believed God, he would have seen this happen. If he didn't believe God, he would manipulate and organize everything and he would miss God's plan. You see, this little child was a sign of what God was going to do in that generation. When you looked at that child, are you going to believe God? Are you going to try to work out your life? Can I tell you something? This is a dangerous time in history to be living your life without a real God. You ought to look carefully at the nations and politics and what they're teaching your kids in schools. You ought to look very carefully in this hour. Right in the midst of this prophecy about his son, in chapter 7 verse 14, there's a prophecy about one called Emmanuel. But I'm going to pause there and come back to it. Then in verse 15, he speaks about this son again. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child shall know how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorest shall be forsaken of her two kings. See that little boy you're holding. Before he comes to a place of really understanding right and wrong, those two kings are dead. They're gone. Do you realize that little boy you're holding is an embodied prophecy? Prophecy is tied into that little boy about what is going to happen. And if you believe God, you're going to see this before he's any age at all and he understands what's right and wrong. You're going to see that I'm God and that I've done everything that I've prophesied in a remarkable way. And so Isaiah delivered that prophecy and it came to pass. That's the first son. The second son is in chapter eight verse three. Listen to his name again. The longest name in the Bible. He's Isaiah's second son. And we're told in chapter eight verse one, moreover the Lord said unto me, take a great role right in it. This name of this little boy, then go into your wife who's called the prophetess, conceive a child, and you're going to name this child by this name. Then the Lord said to me, call his name. Aren't you glad Suf didn't decide to call this little boy? Mary is very glad and I'm sure she was praying. Oh God, make sure they don't call that kid anything I can't handle. This little boy was to be called this name. God gave the name because his life was to be assigned his name, his character, who he was growing up. He is also assigned like his older brother. What's he to be a sign of? Do you know what his name means? It means they will be swift to the spoil, quick to plunder. The name actually meant Assyria is going to come down very quickly. It happened within two years. And Assyria is going to come down, move very, very fast and take all the plunder from your lands. And it's even going to invade Judah, but they will not take Jerusalem. And so this little boy was assigned. It's going to get very, very tough. It's going to get very, very hot. There's going to be things happen over the next few years that you do not want to know sitting here is going to happen. And yet it is going to happen. But this little boy is a sign and a testimony that it's all going to happen. But God has a people who he's going to bring through this. It says in chapter eight, verse four, for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, my father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria. Before that little boy begins saying, daddy, I don't mean mumbling. I mean crying. Daddy, mommy, before he gets that Can you imagine if we gave Hannah and Sophie prophecy and says these things are going to happen in our world before he'll be crying out, mommy and daddy, could you imagine that? Imagine if I stood here at this baby dedication and you never forget what I say, because I say before he says that and others that at home and all of you will be witnesses. This is going to happen with Russia and this is going to happen with Iran and this is going to happen with Turkey and this is going to happen with America and it's all going to happen very, very shortly. Can you imagine me saying that? And you're all watching that child saying, has he called you daddy yet? Is he fluent in crying out mommy? Might say it in the Czech language. This little boy's going to be speaking both. And so you have Isaiah saying this child's going to be assigned to the entire nation of what's going to happen. God's message to King Ahaz was that both of Judah's enemies would be defeated and utterly destroyed before that child can say that. In the year 732 BC, about two years after Isaiah's son was born, both these two kings were dead and in their grave. Two years. And Assyria had conquered Syria, sorry, Assyria had conquered Syria and had begun to invade Israel. What a remarkable thing happens in this. But I want to bring you to the third son. There's one in chapter 7 verse 14 and you know the verse so, so well. All of us do. Every Christmas time they sing about it. Little children's plays, they talk about this son, this prophecy and yet it's given right in the midst of these two sons. It's connected to both these two sons. Emmanuel is mentioned in both prophecies. In this context we always get the verse lifted out and it's talked about the Lord Jesus Christ. We never read it in its story. You could have heard the Christmas story hundreds of times and yet you've never heard about these boys whose names it's a struggle to pronounce. No wonder. But you have this third son given in a remarkable context. Verse 10, moreover the Lord speak again unto Ahaz saying, ask a sign. Now look at this carefully. Two sons are already given saying what's going to happen the nation. God speaks to Ahaz and said if you believe me you're going to walk through this and I'll keep the nation. If you don't listen to me you're in trouble, real trouble. And you can do anything you want, it's your choice, it's your volition, your free will. But there are consequences. So he spoke unto Ahaz, he's pleading with him saying, ask a sign of the Lord thy God. Ask either in the depth or in the height above, either in heaven or hell, take your pick. Ask a sign of God and God will give you a sign to show you that this is all going to happen and that he'll help you. Do you realize if you really want God to show himself alive and real and prove himself he will. If you seek him with all of your heart, I mean with a sincere heart. I don't mean tempting God or testing God or playing religious games and saying see he didn't answer. I don't mean that. I mean when you're saying I want to know if there's a God in heaven. I don't want religion, I don't want tradition, I don't want dead Christianity, I don't want deception, I don't want games. I want to know if there's a real God in heaven and if he cares about me and loves me. I want to know such a God. And so he asked this king, ask for a sign and God will give it to you. Listen to what Ahaz said in response. I will not ask, neither will I tempt God. Do you know he was putting religion on. Do you know he didn't believe God and he didn't fear God and he didn't desire God. It was mere religion. Do you know he knew in his heart God wouldn't show me a sign. God can't do the miraculous. God can't do the profound. God can't speak to me in a way that I need to know. And so he said oh no I won't tempt God. I won't ask any sign. And the prophet actually rebukes him and said you've done the wrong thing. God would have shown you so you could trust him and follow him and believe in him. God would have given you a sign. He's already given you two signs. He's given you two young boys. He's given you a time scale. He's given you details of what's about to happen and you've only got to wait two years. Isn't it amazing how religion and skepticism and unbelief can destroy an awful lot of what's real. Do you know how much God wants to show you individually how real he is and he'll prove it and make it concrete and make it real. Man can't do that. Only a real God can do that. And yet we say oh I couldn't do that. God offers you that he would change your heart in an amazing way. And so he moves immediately. He stops prophesying and then he prophesies to the entire nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. And he inserts a prophecy here. Listen to what he says. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you. And you is in the plural. It's like the German language. We don't have it in our English in the same way. But you can have you singular. One person. That's Ahaz. You Ahaz. He's been prophesying Ahaz. Then the you becomes plural and it means the entire nation. He rejected his opportunity. Ahaz did. It's going to be bad. But then he speaks to the nation and he says you the nation. I'm going to give you a sign. Listen to what it is. Behold a virgin shall conceive. This is the sign. The two sons were assigned. But so is this sign. A virgin shall conceive. What is a virgin? Someone who has not had sexual relations with a man. And yet she's going to conceive a child. I believe in the virgin birth. I don't have a problem believing in the virgin birth. I believe God created all things. I believe he's the originator of all things. I believe he created man and woman in his image. I believe God has recorded accurate history and prophecy. He's telling us everything that's going to happen. And she shall bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us. That's what his name is going to mean in a very, very clear and distinct way. We know over in Matthew chapter 1, Matthew the disciple of Christ, he quotes the scripture and he says, behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. It was the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know an entire sign was given to Judah? Remember the Northern 10 tribes, Israel are carried into Assyria, but God preserves us little people who go into Babylon seven years, then they come back and God says, before you get scattered as a nation. Remember when that happened in AD 70, when the Roman army come in and they destroyed the temple and they scattered Israel until 1948. The Bible predicts all of this accurately. Do you know there's only once in Israel's history that got scattered to every nation in the world, only once in 4,000 years. Do you know only once did Israel get regathered from every nation of the world. And it says in that prophecy, you know, a part of that at that same time when Israel gets regathered, that happened in 1948. And it says, see at that very time, the most dominant nations going to be the country to the very North. Do you know today, one fifth of all Jews in Israel speak Russian as their native language. Ezekiel prophesied it two and a half thousand years ago. The accuracy of Bible prophecy said, this is going to happen. This is going to happen and it'll happen in this order. It's only happened once in history, once in history. And the Bible predicts it. Do you know Jesus Christ was given as a sign to the nation of Israel and they crucified him. They rejected him. And the gospel went to all men, all women, all nations. This Lord Jesus Christ is an embodied prophecy. Everything the Bible says is in Christ. He predicts everything that is going to happen in these days ahead. And here is the remarkable thing, utterly remarkable. You know, my Bible says what's going to happen in these days, just about to happen. Do you know why? And you're going to have to judge this for yourself and you can judge it in the next two years and you can judge it in the next eight years. What's going to happen. This little boy has been born at a very unique time in world history. There's only once before in 2000 years, as many prophecies came to pass only once and that's when Jesus walked the earth. And then there's 2000 years and see right now, we're at the beginning of the most remarkable fulfillment of a third of Bible prophecy. Imagine if Isaiah the prophet was here prophesying. Do you know what I think he would say? Do you remember John the apostle, the disciple that leaned on the bosom of Christ who walked with Christ? He was the youngest one. And he wrote his last letter in AD 96. He said an hour is coming, a governmental system won't be nation states anymore. A world government would begin to arise. And that world government would have technology where you will have a mark on the right hand or forehead. You won't buy or sell without it. See from a child, because of what the Bible says, I've always believed this. Cash should be done away with. Technology will come in where you will not be able to function without a technical system built into world government. Impossible. Do you know something else the Bible says it's going to happen very shortly. And I've studied this for many years. It says there's a war coming with Israel very shortly. 2,600 years ago, it's given. And it gives the names of all the nations and it says Israel needs to be regathered from all nations. That happened in 1948. No other time in history happened then. And it says once they're back and once the nation begins to grow, remember it was all barren and wilderness and desert. Israel's blossoming. It's a prosperous nation now. And it says once they're in that condition, there's going to be a certain war. Of course, there's been lots of wars around Israel, but there's going to be a certain one comes. And when that war comes, certain things are going to happen in a unique way. Do you know, it doesn't mention Iraq. Iraq's not mentioned in that war. I wonder why. And Syria is not mentioned in that war. But listen to the first three countries that are mentioned. Magog, which is the Scythians, which is present-day Russia. So once Israel is back in their country, Russia is going to be involved in that war. What's the second nation? Turkey. What's the third one? Persia or Iran. Do you know, five years ago, for the very first time, Russia, Turkey, Iran signed a document because of Syria. And they come together and said, we're going to work. We're going to work on the ground militarily in the Middle East. And you've got a list of all the names indicated in that. And you've got details, specific details. Do you know, little baby Elias is living in a unique hour. My message is a son for a sign. And I'm very burdened. God gave me this message, I know. Because I believe you've got a child like Isaiah had two and Emmanuel was given. Before he begins to speak, and before he begins to do an awful lot of things, and before he becomes a mature adult, you're going to have things that I've just spoken to you. It's all going to have happened. It's going to have happened. And yet several years ago, if you told people about transhumanism and joining computers to men and putting chips in the hand, they would have laughed at you and go, never. I've got an atheist cousin who grew up with this. And he rebelled and says, I don't believe in anything. Two years ago, turned up at my mom's door and said, you've always said this, haven't you? World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, has said by 2025, I'm not saying this. He said it. I didn't know it until two years ago. He says, what's in your mobile phone, that chip will be in your hand by 2025. The bankers are saying it. The top companies are saying it. It's not me saying it. They're saying it. If they get the date wrong, that's their problem. But I'm telling you, all the Bible prophecy that I've heard from a child that always seemed to be in the future, it's actually got very, very close. Why do you think God warns us about these things? Why is there more prophecies he's warned about in this time? Do you know why? Because he loves you and he is God and he knows the future and he can give details of nations and countries and wars. In fact, Jesus in Matthew 24, he goes through a whole list of things. Just before I come back, this will be happening and this will be happening and this will be happening and this will be happening and immorality will burst its banks. This poor little boy has to grow up in a society that doesn't even know what a boy and a girl is anymore. And never have we had as many children in the womb being murdered and killed without a thought. You're not allowed to touch your cat and you better not speak badly to your dog. But that little baby in the womb is worthless and it's not a thing anymore. Do you realize what a fascinating hour that we're in? This is my message and I warned you, it's unusual. But I couldn't go any other direction. Would have loved to just preach the gospel, tell you about Jesus. But I believe a son is given for a sign. And you sitting in this room are going to have to watch what happens within his short lifetime over the next few years. You're going to be shocked. You haven't seen anything yet in these past two years, nothing. Because the Bible lays out exactly what is going to happen. And I'm watching it and I'm stunned. From Russia, joining with Turkey and Iran, sure I grew up reading that in my Bible, that it would happen at a certain point in time. And only for the first time in history, Russia, Turkey and Iran joined together in agreement. It's never happened before in history. And never have world governments said they'll put a mark in your hand or a brain chip as Elon Musk likes to talk about. It's in the open and the British government have a thing on their website, Ministry of Defence, saying how everyone is going to have a brain chip. If you think I'm crazy, you better think they're crazy. The world governments and the world banks and the institutions, because they're saying they're going to do this. And yet my Bible says it's going to happen right at the end before Jesus comes back. And they say they're going to cure all man's problems and cure sickness and even get the victory over death. But they laugh at a real God and say, I don't believe that. Eternal life, I don't believe that. But they are creating something that's very dangerous. We're going to dedicate baby Elias to the Lord. I'm not scared of this, sir. I know God. He's a good God. And he sent Jesus to die on the cross. And he says, whosoever believes in him, Jesus said this, whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And the Bible says, choose you this day who you're going to serve. Because if like Ahaz, you make the wrong decision, you just go, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I sort of believe stuff like that. Pick and choose. And you make the wrong decision and you base everything on the wrong thing. You don't get a second chance at this of life. You could have messed up and you can start again and get right with God and start afresh. But you can't live your life again. It's much better to live right from the beginning. I used to watch my two brothers stand outside my dad's door. They'd done things bad and they'd stand there and I'd watch them. I was much younger than them. And I'd watch them and they'd cry and blame each other and fight and punch each other and say, it's your fault. It's your fault. And I'd stand watching. Only a little boy. Terrible at school. Teachers thought I was dumb. But I'd go, you know what? I'm wise enough. Do what's wrong. Stand at daddy's door. It ain't nice. I said, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do what's right. I'm going to listen, going to obey. I'm not going to be like them two, blaming each other. And yet we're not children, most of us here. And yet we do that with God. Blame a thousand things. But there is a day we're going to stand before God and meet with him. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord God, that you do give sons, you do give children as signs, as warnings in an unusual time, you do unusual things. And this little baby boy has been born into this world at a very unusual time when many Bible prophecies are suddenly coming to pass before our very eyes in a way that I've never seen in my entire life. We are watching it. And I pray this little boy, Lord God, he's going to grow up, Lord God, eating butter and honey in a way that's going to teach him to know how to choose the good and to reject the evil. I pray that you raise up a holy and a unique child that loves Jesus and walks different from the world out there. And it's going to know the voice of God and the hand of God upon him in Jesus' mighty name. ======================================================================== Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/FTHeqVd9xF8.mp4 Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/keith-malcomson/a-son-for-a-sign/ ========================================================================