Message
Matthew 1:23
Name Above All Names - Immanuel
Today the sermon will start with a bit of a question around the name. Is it spelt Immanuel, or Emmanuel?
In Hebrew it looks like this:-
(you are going to have to goggle it ...)
the Hebrew is pronounced Immanuel
In Greek it looks like this:-
(again ... go to google) in the Greek it is pronounced Emmanuel
Either way it has the same meaning.
(I used the Hebrew text here above the English)
EL NU IMA
God us with
Today I'm sticking with the Immanuel spelling.
Let's see the name in the text we are focusing on.
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23
Because this is the case there is no doubt that, about the connection that Matthew is making.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:20-23
There is only one time when a prophet speaks about Immanuel.
Isaiah 7-8
Historical situation (verse 1-2)
Read
Judah, specifically Jerusalem, is being attacked by Aram (which is the area of modern day Syria) with the help of Israel
This is family against family.
It was a terrible time which took place in 732BC.
Pekah king of Israel, and Rezin king of Aram were trying to force Ahaz to join them in an alliance against Tiglath -pilesar the king of Assyria.
Ahaz refused to cooperate.
But it wasn’t Ahaz’s refusal that was the big problem.
The big problem was Ahaz’s relationship with God.
Ahaz was the king of Judah … in the line of David.
But … he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
He … made idols for worshiping the Baals … and sacrificed his children in the fire.
Furthermore he engaged in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 28:1-3
As a result of this lack of faith and trust in God, God used Resin and Pekah as a tool of punishment.
6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah—because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. 8 The men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 28:6-8
In the face of these losses Ahaz sent a message to Tiglath-pilesar.
The king of Assyria.
The king who was destroying all the nations.
Ahaz was desperate.
5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him.
7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.
2 King 16:6-9
In his position as the king of Judah who should Ahaz have trusted?
He should have repented and trusted in God.
After all God had made a promise to all those in the line of King David.
God had an everlasting covenant with them. He would protect them.
There was a way out from the difficulty. All it involved was humbling himself before God.
But Ahaz wouldn’t do that.
Instead he trusted in the might of Assyria.
And it turned out to be a complete disaster.
But the sad part about all of this is that it didn’t need to be this way.
Read Isaiah 7:1-9
Look at the promises God is making.
That Ahaz can have confidence and peace.
Verse 4 … be careful, be calm, don’t be afraid, don’t lose heart.
What looks like a situation of fear is far from it.
Ahaz was being given the means to wake up every day and say, I am going to win.
That powerful enemies are nothing to God.
Verse 4 … smouldering stubs of wood … nearly burnt out … useless.
These mighty nations are nothing before God, he is able to bring the victory.
They are just men
These are the promises. There is just one condition
Verse 9 If you do not stand firm in your faith you will not stand firm at all.
Ahaz is in a position to turn the political fortune of the nation around.
To defeat Israel and Aram all by himself … without any help from Assyria.
Now let’s read the response
Isaiah 7:10-20
Ahaz obviously has doubts … and doesn’t stand firm.
God is willing to give him a sign.
Gideon asked for a sign.
That the fleece of the sheep will be dry even though the ground around it is wet.
Then Gideon knew … his was the victory.
Ahaz could have asked for anything … anything to show that the victory was going to happen.
Instead he acts in false piety.
Already we see his heart. He is not going to stand firm in faith.
So God will give a sign.
A virgin will have a baby.
Not the same way that Mary did. A man is involved.
But someone who is a virgin now, will conceive and have a baby … that takes nine months..
Then that child will get to a point where it knows how to reject wrong and choose right.
Eighteen month old children are able to do that. To listen when you say “no”
So basically the sign is this:-
In just over two years God will lay waste to Israel and Aram.
Immanuel … God With Us … is the sign of this act of God.
But … but … it will not be as a result of Ahaz.
In just over two years’ time Assyria will overtake the land.
Not just Israel and Aram, but also Judah.
They will be everywhere.
They will take over everything.
They will do as they please.
Because you … Ahaz … did not stand firm in your faith.
Immanuel … God With Us … is the sign of this act of God.
What is the sign of Immanuel … the sign of God with us?
God had a plan in mind.
God had an outcome that would be achieved.
God’s purposes will always come to pass.
God will make this happen with … or without you.
That is the sign of Immanuel.
Will you stand firm in your faith … or will you not stand at all?
Let’s go back to the name
22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22-23
As the Immanuel the birth of Jesus reminds us that God’s plans will come about … with or without us.
Sometimes you hear it.
God saved a certain person because God needed them.
God doesn’t need anyone of us.
To be honest his plans would work a lot better if we were all out of the way.
He doesn’t need us, but he chooses to include us.
He chooses to enable us to help.
We don’t come into the family of faith because we have a purpose.
We come into the family because of God and then God gives us a purpose.
The key to it all is faith.
Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.
Faith is believing that - in a world where it looks like Christianity is on the backfoot - God still has it all under control.
He will be called Immanuel.
He will bring about his purposes … with or without us.
It is such an important name.
Because it is the name which gets us to think about the ultimate source of our identity security.
What do we believe about our identity?
Do we see who we are in Christ and live out of the reality that our relationship with Christ is all that we need. Or is our identity build on something else …
Our identity is built on “being spoken well of” … with us.
Our identity is “having a great career” … with us.
Our identity is “I’m in a good marriage” … with us.
Our identity is “people speak well of me” … with us.
Do you see what I am getting at. When Immanuel comes into our lives the name causes us to be confronted in issues of our identity.
The Immanuel is saying “am I enough for you?”, “Is being part of my family sufficient to carry you?”
Are you with me, or not?
What about our security?
As we stand in Christ is that security enough for us? Or is our security built on something else …
Our security is built on “having a sufficient bank account” … with us.
Or security is “living the Australian dream” … with us.
Or security is “my job is secure” … with us.
Immanuel confronts us. For we live in a world full of insecurity. And we can be tempted to try and find all sorts of ways to have security, that are not really from God.
So the question keeps coming. The Immanuel is saying “am I enough for you?”, “Is being part of my family sufficient to carry you?”
Are you with me, or not?
It seems simple enough.
But how hard it is.
We so used to being told how important we are.
We are number one. We are central. We are essential.
The catch phrase of today is
EL NU IM
Us with God
Yes God is there.
Yes God is part of it.
But we are up the front.
We think it should be like this. We are wrong. Always it is Immanuel … God with us.
God can actually get all that He plans done without you.
That’s a humbling thought isn’t it.
But isn’t that the very essence of the Gospel?
The good news that
… while we were sinners.
… while we were enemies.
… while we were in a state of rebellion shaking our fist at God for all that was wrong, yet at the same time actually not really believing he existed.
While all this was happening Immanuel came into the world.
He invites us out of our purposeless lives and offers to give us purpose.
I am Immanuel … I am going to change history.
I am Immanuel … I am going to fulfil all the purposes of God.
I am Immanuel … the victory is mine.
I am Immanuel … are you with me or not?
Prayer
