Go! And Trust the God Who Is With Us – The Miracle of Immanuel - Isaiah 7:14
Introduction — When Darkness Demands a Saviour
There are moments in life when fear speaks louder than faith.
Israel faced such a moment. Armies marched toward Jerusalem. Panic filled the palace. King Ahaz shook like a leaf in the storm. He could see no hope. No rescue. No future.
Yet in the darkest hour… God spoke a promise:
“I am coming. I will be with My people. A child will be born. A Saviour will arrive.”
This is not just history. It’s your story. Because our world today feels the same — full of chaos, uncertainty, and fear.
But tonight, God speaks again through Isaiah 7:14.
A prophecy that announces the greatest truth the world has ever known:
God is not distant.
God did not send a messenger.
God came Himself.
Isaiah 7:14 (NLT): All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
One verse.
One promise.
One hope.
One Name: Immanuel — God with us.
1 — The Promise in Context: A Sign from God
Isaiah spoke these words 700 years before Christmas morning.
• The kingdom was divided.
• The enemy was approaching.
• Ahaz was terrified and faithless.
• Hope seemed impossible.
God said to Ahaz, “Ask Me for a sign!” (Isaiah 7:11)
Ahaz refused — not out of humility, but unbelief.
So God said, “I Myself will give you a sign.”
Word Study — “Virgin”
Hebrew: ??????? — almah
Meaning: a young woman specifically unmarried — untouched by a man.
Not an ordinary birth. Not a human solution.
A miracle only God could perform.
This miracle reached beyond Ahaz’s lifetime — toward a Child who would step out of eternity and into human history.
Matthew confirms the fulfilment:
Matthew 1:22–23 (NLT): All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet…
God’s promise did not fail.
God never fails.
John 1:14 (NLT): So the Word became human and made his home among us.
Greek phrase: “tabernacled” — pitched His tent among us.
The Presence that once filled the Temple now entered our humanity.
Max Lucado: “If Jesus is Immanuel, then there is no place He is not.”
Wherever you go this week — workplaces, school, hospital corridors, lonely evenings — Jesus goes there with you.
You are never alone.
Into the Burning Building
A child trapped in a burning house. Flames everywhere. The fireman doesn’t shout instructions from safety — he climbs the ladder, breaks the window, enters the fire to rescue the child.
Jesus didn’t rescue humanity from a distance.
He entered our burning world.
Immanuel means God stepping into your fire.
2 — Why Immanuel Came: To Save the Lost
He didn’t just come to be with us.
He came to save us.
Luke 19:10 (NLT): The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
We needed more than encouragement.
We needed redemption.
Isaiah prophesied how He would save:
Isaiah 53:5 (NLT): …pierced for our rebellion… crushed for our sins… beaten so we could be whole… whipped so we could be healed.
Word Study — Crushed (?????? — daka)
Meaning: broken into pieces, ground down completely.
That’s what Jesus endured — the full crushing weight of all sin.
He who was with us became the One for us — dying in our place.
Philippians 2:6–8 (NLT): Jesus “gave up His divine privileges”… humbled Himself to die a criminal’s death.
Greek: kenoo — to empty Himself of entitlement.
He didn’t stop being God — He refused to cling to His status.
He came as a Servant-King.
Tim Keller: “Christmas is telling you that you could never save yourself.”
Your goodness cannot erase your guilt.
Your efforts cannot cancel sin.
Only Jesus can save.
Stop trying to earn salvation.
Stop trying to fix yourself.
Come to Christ.
3 — Immanuel Still With Us: The Spirit of God in Us
After the Cross, after the Resurrection, Jesus declared:
Matthew 28:20 (NLT): “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
How can He be with every believer everywhere?
Through the Holy Spirit:
John 14:16–17 (NLT): …He lives with you now and later will be in you.
Word Study — Parakletos
Meaning: The One called alongside — a Helper, Comforter, Advocate.
Immanuel came.
Immanuel died.
Immanuel rose.
And Immanuel stayed in us.
Charles Stanley: “The Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence for living the Christian life.”
You are not struggling alone.
You are not fighting addiction alone.
You are not grieving alone.
The God who saved you now stays with you.
The Lifeboat That Never Left
A group rescued at sea expected the lifeboat to turn back. Instead, it travelled beside them all the way home — watching, guarding, keeping them safe.
Jesus does not save and leave.
He saves and stays.
The Gospel — Immanuel: God With Us, God For Us, God In Us
Hear the heart of heaven:
Jesus is God the Son,
Born of a virgin,
Living sinlessly,
Dying as your substitute,
Buried in your place,
Rising on the third day in victory.
Why?
So sin would not have the final word
So death would not have the final hold
So hell would not have the final claim
Immanuel — God with us —
became Immanuel — God for us —
so He could be Immanuel — God in us.
But His salvation must be received:
Acts 3:19 (NLT): Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
Repent — turn away from sin
Believe — trust Jesus completely
Receive — eternal life and God’s presence forever
Call to Action — Go! And Live Because God Is With You
If Christ lives in you…
• Fear must bow
• Anxiety must retreat
• Temptation must be resisted
• Hope must rise
• Faith must shine
Christian — live like someone who knows God is with you.
At work — He is with you.
In sorrow — He is with you.
In uncertainty — He is with you.
In death — He is with you.
Go! And trust Immanuel every day.
Invitation to Salvation:
If you know about Jesus but you do not know Him —
If you believe He came, but you have never surrendered —
If you have never repented and placed your trust in Christ…
Tonight — this is God’s call to you:
Turn from sin.
Call on Jesus.
Receive Immanuel into your heart forever.
Pray with faith:
“Lord Jesus, I turn from my sin.
I believe You died for me and rose again.
Forgive me. Save me.
Be my Saviour, my Lord, my Immanuel.
Amen.”
If you prayed this, please speak to me afterwards. We want to walk with you in this new life.
Conclusion — The Promise Still Stands
Born in a manger.
Crucified on a cross.
Risen from the grave.
Reigning on the Throne.
Immanuel — still with us.
Still saving.
Still reigning.
Still keeping His promise.
Benediction:
May Immanuel surround you, strengthen you, and shine through you.
May you walk confidently, courageously, and joyfully —
For God is with you.
Amen.
