Immanuel - Dead Man Not Walking

“. . . She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23, NASB)

The Apostle Matthew, in his account of Jesus’ birth, writes that when Joseph found out that his fiance, Mary, was pregnant, Joseph, “being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.” (Matthew 1:19) But an angel visited him in a dream. The angel told him that Mary’s child was conceived from the Holy Spirit, and not to be afraid to take Mary for his wife. (v. 20)

The option Joseph considered was divorce (betrothal was as good as marriage at the time). The possible penalty for Mary, according to the Law of Moses, was being stoned to death. But Joseph is described as “a righteous man,” and didn’t want “to disgrace her.” The angel also describes Joseph as “son of David,” along whose lineage the Messiah would come.

“The Dream of Saint Joseph,” by Philippe de Champaigne. Found at Wikipedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Dream_of_Saint_Joseph.jpg

In the passage above, the angel tells Joseph that the Child’s name would be “Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew reports, “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.'”

The prophet Isaiah foretold the event we celebrate on Christmas. “Immanuel” means “God with us.” If you’re a Jesus-follower, not only is God with us, but He lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit! If you don’t know Jesus, this season of Advent would be the perfect time to ask Him to be the Lord of your life! Would you do this today? Then God would not only be WITH you, He would be IN you! That’s the hope of Christmas!

Worship: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” by Joshua Aaron, from “The Chosen” Christmas Special

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” by Amy Grant

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, NASB)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:18-23, NASB)

Immanuel. God with us. The desire of humankind since God created us.
“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,That the mountains might quake at Your presence . . . ” (Isaiah 64:1)
Isaiah’s prophecy at the top of the page, and his yearning immediately above, came true a little more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus Christ was born, and the world hasn’t been the same. Apostle Matthew used Isaiah’s prophecy to demonstrate that it was one of many that Jesus Christ fulfilled. He came to save you and me from God’s wrath.

Isaiah 7:14, found at Page Hughes, pagehughes.com
Jesus is Immanuel. If you are one of His followers, “Immanuel” has a new meaning. Not only is “God with us,” but He lives in your heart! The Bible says that you are a Temple of the Holy Spirit. When you pray to ask Jesus to be your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart as Helper and Teacher.

Tomorrow (Sunday, 28 November), is the beginning of Advent. We use this time before Christmas to remember God’s most precious Gift, and to prepare our hearts for His coming. Of course, if you’re a Jesus follower, you know that He’ll return again. He said He’d be back to come for His people. Let’s use Advent to prepare our hearts for His return!

Worship: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” sung by Joshua Aaron (video scenes from “The Chosen”)