Immanuel: God Is With Us
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: God has done what all humanity desires, but questions whether He will.
Illustration: Ancient civilizations visualized God in human and animal form and in the modern age many pictures have been given to us to visualize God.
Introduction
Many cultures have attempted to give us some kind of image of their god or gods.
The Judeo religion forbid the attempt to create an image of the unseen God of Israel.
The Bible declares that one one cannot see God and live.
How do we reconcile that statement with the biblical declaration that when we see Jesus, we have seen God?
I. Verse 23 states that in the person of Jesus Christ God is with us.
Yet, what we see is a man, and we know that God is more than a man.
II. What makes the statement amazing is that Matthew saw in the text of Isaiah 7:14 a reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, and the statment was made 800 years before the birth of Christ.
III. When Joseph was confronted with the pregancy of his bride-to-be, he approached the situation purely from a human viewpoint. His bride-to-be had been unfaithful to him.
IV. In reponse to Joseph’s aniexty God sent the angel of the Lord to share with Joseph what was slowly being unfolded before his very eyes.
God was preparing to do what every human heart before and since has desired that God would do. Appear to mankind kind in human form.
V. The reason for this entry into human history by God was for the purpose of saving humanity from its sins.
VI. We now celebrate this historical moment of the birth of Jesus Christ as God’s entry into history to save mankind.
Conclusion
This child was born to a virgin as the prophet foretold 800 years before.
This child was name Jesus as the angel of the Lord instructed Joseph.
Jesus did save humanity from its sins, when He died on the cross.
And the saying is still found to be true in the resurrected Jesus, Immanuel, God is still with us.
