Immanuel – God with Us
Introduction:
Read Matthew 1:18-25. (Matthew 1:23)
“Behold, the virgin
shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.” NKJV
The Savior being called “Immanuel” is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s
prophecy in Isaiah 7:14.
“Therefore the Lord
Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
In the closing words of Matthew’s account of the gospel, our Savior
tells His followers this,
“And Jesus came and
spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and
on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:18-20) So what does “Immanuel – God with us” mean for
us today? What is the significance of our Savior being both divine and
human?
Body:
I.
The Son of Man
·
This phrase is connected with His humanity. Jesus had a human mother.
(Matthew 1:16) He was born like other babies were born. While it was a
holy night, it wasn’t a silent one!
·
Jesus was fully human; he possessed human characteristics. (Hebrews
2:14a, Matthew 13:54-56)
·
Physically
o
Jesus became flesh. (John 1:14a) He grew and became strong. (Luke
2:40a) He had a human form. (Philippians 2:8)
o
Jesus became hungry. (Matthew 4:2) He ate and digested food like we
do.
o
Jesus grew tired. (John 4:5-6) He needed to sleep. (Matthew
8:24)
o
Jesus felt pain and bled. (Matthew 27:25-31)
·
Mentally – Jesus increased in wisdom. (Luke 2:52)
·
Emotionally
o
Jesus felt compassion. (Matthew 9:35-36)
o
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. (Luke 19:41)
o
Jesus was in agony. (Luke 22:43-44)
o
Jesus was sorrowful and troubled. (Matthew 26:36-38)
So being the Son of Man, He is able to completely identify with us.
II.
The Son of God
·
This phrase is connected with His divinity. Just as He possessed human
characteristics, He also possessed divine characteristic. He is fully
God. (Colossians 2:9) “God with us” has always been God. (John 1:1-2)
He existed in the form of God. (Philippians 2:6) “Form” is the true and
exact nature of something possessing all the characteristics and
qualities of something. “Exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3)
·
Jesus’ divinity is seen in His power over disease. (Matthew 5:23-24)
·
It is seen in His power over nature when He rebuked and calmed storms or
fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.
·
His divinity is seen in His authority over sin. (Matthew 9:1-6) This
is the account of the paralytic who was healed.
·
It is also seen in His power over death. He raised the ruler’s daughter
from the dead. (Matthew 9:24-25)
Just as Jesus is fully able to identify with humanity, He is also fully
able to identify with God.
Conclusion:
“Immanuel – God with us” has such great significance for us. Jesus left
the glories of heaven to willingly die on the cross for us. (I Peter
2:24) This shows that God wants to spend eternity with us. (Revelation
21:3)
Bobby Stafford
November 30, 2014
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