Looking Up or Looking Sideways?

King Ahaz is terrified. Two armies march toward Jerusalem. In his darkest hour, God makes an extraordinary offer: "Ask me for a sign—anything, deep as hell or high as heaven—to prove I'm with you." But Ahaz refuses. Instead, he looks sideways to political alliances, pagan gods, and false altars. His refusal changes everything.

This powerful Communion sermon explores what happens when we trust our own solutions instead of God's faithfulness. It challenges us to examine where we're looking when crisis comes—and reveals that the Lord's Table is God's ultimate sign that He is trustworthy, even when we're faithless.

What You'll Discover:

Why crisis doesn't create character—it reveals what's already there

The danger of using religious language to justify unbelief

How each sideways compromise makes the next one easier

Why worship reveals where your true trust lies

The false altars we build in the temple of our hearts

How temporary relief can lead to permanent servitude

God's stunning response when Ahaz refuses: Immanuel—"God with us"

Why Communion is God's invitation to stop looking sideways and look up

Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 16:2-16, Isaiah 7:2-14, Matthew 6:24, 1 Corinthians 11:24-26, Hebrews 11:6, Psalm 34:8, Jeremiah 7:9, 2 Chronicles 28:19-20, Psalm 24:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:13, 1 Corinthians 11:26

The Crisis:
Ahaz is twenty years old and already unfaithful—building altars to false gods, sacrificing his own children. When Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel form an alliance and march toward Jerusalem, Isaiah says "the heart of Ahaz and his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind."

But here's the crucial truth: Ahaz didn't become unfaithful because of the crisis. The crisis revealed what was already there.

Key Principles:

Crisis reveals, not creates, character — You won't rise to the occasion; you'll default to what you've been practicing

Faith isn't caution or self-sufficiency—it's asking, seeking, coming — The Table is for the broken, not the righteous

Each sideways compromise makes the next one easier — Temporary relief often leads to permanent servitude

Worship reveals where your trust lies — Your calendar, budget, and thoughts show your true altars

Religious language can mask unbelief — Ahaz used piety to justify refusal

Our choices affect more than ourselves — Ahaz's unfaithfulness humbled all of Judah

God remains faithful even when we're faithless — His promise to David wasn't revoked because of Ahaz's failure

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