Immanuel - God with Us
Matthew 1:18-25
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
12-03-2023
Losing Baby Jesus
Churches that have a nativity have been finding that it is hard to keep up with baby Jesus.
It has been given an official name, “Baby Jesus Theft.”
In 2012, a church in Vancouver realized that their baby Jesus was gone. That nativity had been a prominent fixture for over fifty years. The pastor said, “It's a sad day when we have to microchip baby Jesus.”
One church weighted baby Jesus down with a concrete block and a chain. That didn’t stop the thieves, who just picked up the concrete block and made off with Jesus.
This is not a new phenomenon. A 1953 episode of Dragnet focused on Sergeants Friday and Smith's investigation of a missing baby Jesus. They told the priest that the service would have to go on without the figurine.
Just then, a little boy arrives, pulling a wagon with baby Jesus in it. He told the officers that if he got a wagon for Christmas, baby Jesus would have the first ride.
Here’s a thought - in the hustle and bustle of Christmas, isn’t it easy to lose track of the reason for the season? If we have lost Jesus in the story, is there a GPS to lead us back to Him?
Turn with me to Matthew 1.
Prayer
Once Upon a Time?
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:” (Matt 1:18)
Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogical record of Jesus to show that Jesus was from the line of David.
In the verses we will study this morning, Matthew will share with us the birth record of Jesus.
Notice how Matthew begins. He doesn’t say, “Once upon a time…”.
That’s how fairy tales begin. This is not a fairy tale. He is recording history.
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about…” (Matthew 1:18a)
Matthew has an agenda in his gospel. He wants to help people, particularly Jewish people, to know that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.
This term means the “Anointed One” or Savior. The Jewish people had been waiting for a long time for the Savior to come to save them.
There was great anticipation in those days for the coming of the Messiah. Matthew wants to make clear that the event that they had been waiting for actually happened when a baby was born in a manger in Bethlehem.
How many of you were born in December? Do we have any Christmas babies?
Sir Isaac Newton, Ricky Martin, Humphrey Bogart, Taylor Swift, Jimmy Buffett, and Rod Serling were all born on Christmas Day.
While the birth of Jesus would happen like any other baby born, the conception was a different story.
A Miraculous Conception
“His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 1:18b)
Matthew introduces us to Jesus’ mother whose name is Mary. She was probably a young teenager who was “pledged to be married” to Joseph, a carpenter/mason who was probably a little bit older than her.
Although Mary and Joseph were not married yet, they were betrothed. This was different from our idea of “engagement” in that it was a legally binding agreement between the two families.
This pledge usually lasted a year during which the man would build a room on the side of the house for his new bride.
It was a time of testing, a time of abstinence. There had been no physical intimacy between the two when Mary was “found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew reports this in such a matter-of-fact way!
Luke gives us the details:
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke 1:26-38)
This is what we know theologically as the “virgin birth.” Theologically, this is one of the foundations of our faith.
Do you notice who was the first person to worship Jesus as Messiah? John the Baptist - in the womb!
Pagan cultures sacrificed their children in the fire to false gods. As Ronald Reagan said, “Everyone who believes in abortion has already been born.”
We are pro-life, from the womb to the tomb, and Proverbs 31:8 gives us our marching orders - “speak up for those who can not speak for themselves.”
Let’s continue by looking at Joseph’s miraculous compassion.
Miraculous Compassion
“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matt 1:19)
Can you imagine Mary?
Hey Joe, you’re not going to believe this but I’m pregnant. The father? God. Yes, God.”
Can you imagine Joseph’s reaction? Hurt, betrayal, anger, revenge?
We learn a little more about the character of Joseph by the compassion he shows Mary here.
He is described as being “faithful to the Law” or in your translation, “a righteous man.”
What did the Law say to do in this situation? In Deuteronomy, it’s clear that Joseph could have had her stoned for adultery.
But Joseph loved Mary and didn’t want to make this a public spectacle. He decided to divorce her quietly. No public anger. No shaming her in front of their family and friends.
His mind was made up. At least it was until he had a dream that changed everything.
Miraculous Intervention
“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. 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.” (Matt 1:20-21)
This weighed heavily on Joseph’s heart and as he drifted off to sleep one night, he had a heavenly visitor.
An angel had told Mary what would happen and now an angel will tell Joseph that her story is true.
He begins by calling him the “Son of David,” which is why Matthew began his gospel with a genealogy, to show that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David.
God wants to still Joseph’s fears. Even though it will lead to a lot of whispers and rumors, Joseph does not hesitate to take Mary home as his wife.
The angel reaffirms to Joseph what he said to Mary - this is a God-thing! The baby conceived in Mary’s womb is from the Holy Spirit.
The angel even does a gender reveal and tells Joseph that the colors are blue for a boy.
Then the angel directs Joseph what to name this baby. The father had the right to name babies but not this time. Naming a child meant you had authority over the child. But this child would have authority over His parents. Before they were born, He was I AM. They are to name him Jesus, which means “Yahweh saves.”
His name will define what He has come to do - save His people from their sins.
Matthew then does something that is a hallmark of his gospel. Remember that he is writing to Jewish people to help them understand that Jesus was the Messiah that the Old Testament prophets spoke of in their writings.
Miraculous Confirmation
?“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matt 1:22-23)
Again, Matthew is recounting historical fact, “All this took place…”.
Matthew will quote from Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz, 700 years before.
Ahaz asks for a sign that his line will continue. Isaiah responds with this amazing promise:
*the virgin will conceive.” - there is coming a miraculous baby, a son.
“And He shall be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’” This isn’t a name but a description of who He will be.
This leads us to Joseph’s choice to be obedient and courageous to God, even though he knew it would be a hard road.
Miraculous Courage
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matt 1:24-25)
Joseph would take on the role of stepfather to the Son of God. This took miraculous courage. He knew what their friends and family would think. He knew there would be rumors and innuendos. But he had the same heart of obedience that Mary did.
Scripture says that he did not have sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus was born. In the Catholic tradition, Mary is described as a perpetual virgin. But this verse proves that is not the case.
And true to the command of the angel, they gave the baby the name Jesus.
Most of us know this story well. What can we learn from it this Christmas season that might change your life?
Applications
Jesus is God
If you ask people today, who Jesus is, you will get all sorts of answers. Some believe him to be a good, moral teacher. Some will tell you that He was a philosopher, like Plato or Aristotle. Others might say that He is a myth, a legend.
But the Bible doesn’t give us any of those options. People who encountered Jesus either wanted to kill Him or worship Him.
Scripture clearly says Jesus is God.
The theological term for this mystery is “incarnation.”
Imagine we are walking along a dirt path and we come upon an ant hill. It’s obvious that someone has ridden a bike right over the hill and the colony is in total chaos.
What if I got down on my knees and tried to help them put things back together again? How do you think that would work? It would be terrifying! I’m way too big, too overpowering and they would be too afraid to accept my help.
But what if I could become an ant and visit their hill and show them the way back to being a thriving colony?
The Apostle John begin his gospel with these words:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
I love the way Max Lucado describes this:
“In the Incarnation…an artist becomes a drop of paint on His own canvas.”
The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:
“The Son [Jesus] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)
Paul writes to the church at Colosse:
“For in him [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Col 2:9)
Other religions teach that you must do something to reach God.
Christianity teaches that we were helpless and hopeless and hellbound and we could never hop high enough for God’s holiness.
But God, in a move that surely made the angels cock their heads with wonder, came down to us on a divine rescue mission:
“The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
The Greek word “dwell” is a word picture of “pitching a tent.”
Jesus told His bewildered disciples:
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)
Philip speaks up for the group and says:
“Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” (John 14:8)
Jesus’ response completely blew their minds;
“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:9-11)
Jesus is God. Do you believe this? If it’s not true, then He’s a liar or a lunatic, and His words are irrelevant to our lives. But if it is true if He is who He says He is, then you have the same choice as His first listeners - do you reject Him or go all in and surrender your life to worshipping and serving Him?
2. Jesus is human.
If Mary and Joseph were to have an ultrasound, the baby looked…well, like a baby.
He was born, He cried, He had to be changed, He learned to walk, He grew in stature and wisdom, He felt pain, He grieved, He cried, got angry, frustrated, got tired, hungry, and thirsty.
He was 100% human. Wait a minute. I thought He was 100% God.
This is the only time in all of history where one plus one = one!
Jesus was fully God and fully man. ?
C.S. Lewis wrote this concerning the incarnation:
“The second person of the Trinity, God the Son, became human Himself and was born into the world as an actual man, a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular color, speaking a particular language, weighing so many pounds, the eternal being that knows everything and created the whole universe, became a man, and before that a baby, and before that a fetus in Mary’s virgin womb.”
3. God with Us
Isaiah prophesies that this baby would be called, “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”
Because God is with us, we don’t have to fear.
Notice that every time an angel shows up in this story they begin with the words, “Do not fear.”
Why? Because we are prone to fear. I’ve never seen so much fear in our culture as right now.
People are afraid politically, they are afraid of where they think our country is headed (both sides), afraid because of racial unrest, fearful of the future, and scared of not being able to feed their children.
It is in this climate of fear that the understanding that “God is with us” is so powerful. Even amid chaos, we don’t have to be ruled by fear because God is with us.
Isaiah wrote these encouraging words:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Paul told his young pastor friend Timothy:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
John writes:
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18)
God is with us! I love the way the New Living Translation version of Psalm 18:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:2-3)
The king of Israel sent troops to surround the town of Dothan to capture the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s servant completely freaks out and is frozen with fear.
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.
So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.”
And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17)
The servant’s eyes were opened and he could see that there was an angel army that had come to their defense!
Because God is with us, we don’t have to live in fear:
David, who was often afraid, wrote this in his journal:
“When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal men do to me?”
Psalm 56: 3-4
Because God is with us, He understands our struggles.
Christmas is often a tough time for people. Elvis crooned that he would have a blue Christmas without the one he loved.
This year, many people have lost loved ones and Christmas just won’t be the same. There will be an empty chair at the table.
You may be tempted to shake your fist at the sky and yell, “You don’t know how I feel?”
But you would be so wrong.
God not only came to earth as a man to get you back but to also get you!
If you have grieved this year, He understands that. He doesn’t just sympathize with you. He empathizes.
If you have felt sad, betrayed by friends, angry, frustrated, tired, lied about, or falsely accused, He has experienced that as well.
If you have struggled to financially survive this year, Jesus gets it. He was homeless and many nights had no place to lay His head.
If you have ever felt alone, Jesus understands. And He says that “He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
If you have ever been lied about or had rumors spread about you that were not true, He has been there and done that.
If you have ever felt abandoned? He cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
If you have ever felt the sting of unanswered prayer, he understands. In the garden, He pleaded with God for another way to save the world. There was no other way. Jesus would say, “Not my will but Yours be done.”
If you have been tempted this year, you’re in good company, because Jesus was tempted in every way we are:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
We have a representative in heaven who understands perfectly how hard it is to be a human.
Because of that, the writer of Hebrews continues:
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
In the Kennedy administration, two people had access to the Oval Office at any time for any reason. Caroline and and John John. Why because they were children and their dad was the President!
Because God is with us, we can be forgiven for our sins!
Remember what the angel told Joseph to name the baby? Jesus, which means “God saves.”
Our sins separated us from God and there was no way we could ever be good enough to earn our way back.
If we were going to be saved, it would have to come from the outside.
Isaiah sent a Christmas card to us:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
A child is born. He will be fully human. A Son is given. He will be a divine gift that will change the world. The baby in the manager is the Savior on the cross. He will bring peace by offering Himself in our place as a sin-substitute on the cross.
God knows the heart-wrenching pain of losing a child. But “He loved you so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Have you placed your faith and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins?
Communion :
Christmas is All About a Tree Video by Paul David Tripp
John MacArthur writes: “Here's a side to the Christmas story that isn't often told: Those soft little hands, fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb, were made so that nails might be driven through them. Those baby feet, pink and unable to walk, would one day walk up a dusty hill to be nailed to a cross. That sweet infant's head with sparkling eyes and eager mouth was formed so that someday men might force a crown of thorns onto it. That tender body, warm and soft, wrapped in swaddling clothes, would one day be ripped open by a spear. Jesus was born to die.”
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Ending song: Manger Throne
