Immanuel- God With Us Series

Series: Knowing God [#20]

IMMANUEL- GOD WITH US

Isaiah 7:14

Introduction:

On this Sunday before Christmas, I want us to look at a name of God that represents Jesus. This name is used only once in the New Testament and twice in the Old Testament. The New Testament reference in Matthew 1:23 is a quote from our text.

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

[Song: “Emmanuel” (M.W. Smith)]

[Song: “Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)”]

[Song: “Emmanuel”]

[Song: “What Child Is This”]

God offered to give King Ahaz a sign, not to just Ahaz; but to all the people of Israel and Judah. The sign was that a virgin would conceive and bring forth a Son, and this Son would be “God with us”. The prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph, a just man, was about to divorce the girl to whom he was engaged. Joseph had discovered that Mary was pregnant, so he decided to break the engagement. Then the angel spoke to Joseph and told him that Mary was faithful; but was carrying the child which had been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She would “bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.” Emmanuel means God with us. Jesus never used this name. We don’t find anyone in the 4 Gospels ever calling Him by this name. It really is a title, a description of Who He is. There are 2 very wonderful truths that are wrapped up in this title.

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

The name Immanuel tells us that…

1. Jesus is God.

There are those who tell us Jesus is not God, that He just is a godly man or good teacher; yet from the very beginning of the New Testament, Jesus Christ is identified as God. If I called myself Immanuel and told you that I was God, you would think I was crazy, (and rightly so); but the New Testament writers applied to Jesus Christ the title “Immanuel, God with us”.

Jesus Christ claimed to be God, and He did so at the risk of His own life.

John 19:5-7 (NIV)

“When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

Jesus claiming to be God was enough for them to want Him dead; but the fact that people were worshipping Jesus made it their goal to kill Him.

The name Immanuel tells us that…

2. Jesus is God with us.

Jesus isn’t God who is far away, distant, and unconcerned. Jesus became God with us when He was born into this world as a little baby. He is God and man.

Jesus is with us in…

? Salvation.

? The trials of life.

? Our service.

? The sorrows of life.

Conclusion:

Jesus Christ is God. Trust Him, worship Him, and give Him your best. Are you trusting Him today? Have you surrendered your all to Him? This is what He wants you to do, because He is God with us.

LORD’S SUPPER

(Pass Bread)

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (NIV)

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."

(Eat Bread)

(Pass Juice)

1 Corinthians 11:25-26 (NIV)

“In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”