GOD WITH US
Isaiah 7:14
John Wesley (d.1791) was an English pastor and theologian who was greatly respected in the Church of England and at the end of his life was described as “the best loved man in England.” As
a result they erected a monument to him in Westminster Abby
with the statement: “The best of it all is that God is with us.”
Spiritually God had always been with his people:
1. God was with Joseph when he was in prison in Egypt.
2. God was in the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night which
led the nation of Israel across the desert to the Promised Land.
3. God’s presence, called the Shekinah glory, was in the tabernacle as he dwelt in the holy of holies above the ark of the covenant.
God has always been with his people in a spiritual sense, but now
he would be with his people through the presence of a man.
BACKGROUND Isaiah 7:1-13
King Ahazwas afraid of being attacked by Israel and Syria.
God sent Isaiah to tell him they would not attack him and
he needed to trust that God would do what he said.
To encourage Ahaz to believe God’s promise he was challenged
to ask God to give him any miraculous sign he wanted. But he refused to ask for a sign because he didn’t believe God’s promise.
MESSANIC PROPHECY Isaiah 7:14
Sign
Therefore – God would give him a sign so he would believe
instead of trembling about what might happen to the nation.
God gave people a sign so when they saw it they would believe.
He wanted his people to believe what he said and giving them
a sign would help them believe when they saw it come to pass.
This sign was to be a symbol of God’s presence with them.
Conception
Behold – pay careful attention to what is about to be said.
W.E. Vine – “ ‘Behold’, in Isaiah, always introduces
something relating to future circumstances.”
Isaiah 3:1 God will bring judgment upon the land.
Isaiah 55:5 God will use Israel to call the Gentiles to salvation.
Isaiah 60:2 God will judge all the people on the earth.
Isaiah 65:17 God will create new heavens and earth.
Virgin – Heb. young woman of marriageable age.
Rebekah (Gen. 24:45); Miriam Moses’ sister (Ex. 2:8).
Harris – “There is no instance where it can be proved that ‘almah’
designates a young woman who was not a virgin.”
The virgin– refers to a specific woman who had never had sexual intercourse, but would become pregnant supernaturally by God.
1. Ahaz’s wife already had a son Hezekiah (II Kings 18:2).
2. Isaiah’s wife already had a son Shear-jashub (:3).
3. Some unknown woman who is not mentioned.
4. From the N.T. we know that it was Mary from Nazareth.
Luke 1:26The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
:31 He told her, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son.”
:34 Mary said to the angel,“How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Frederick Godet – “Mary’s question does not express doubt:
it simply asks for an explanation. Her question is the legitimate
expressionof the astonishment of a pure conscience.”
Son
The child to be born would be a son (9:6) because:
1. A man was created first and the head of the human race.
2. A sacrifice for sin had to be a male lamb (Exodus 12:5).
3. A male would be the one to receive the family inheritance.
Only a male could fulfill all of these roles to be our Savior.
Name
Immanuel – Heb. God with us or with us is God.
El is the short form of elohim main word used for God.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.
Bethel means “house of God.” Daniel means “God is my judge.”
With – Heb. alongside, among, beside, by or near.
It is used of companionship or fellowship between people.
Genesis 13:1 Abraham and Lot moved from Egypt together.
Genesis 18:16 Abraham went with the three visitors.
Genesis 21:22 Abimelech told Abraham, “God is with you
in all that you do.” He recognized God’s blessing on his life.
In the larger context of IsaiahImmanuel is used two other times.
Isaiah 8:8 your land, O Immanuel – God’s presence was there.
Isaiah 8:10God is with us – he would protect his people.
God was assuring his people he continued to would be with them.
The promise is that God will be with his people in the presence
of a person to protect and save his people from their enemies.
M. Henry – “You are not forsaken of your God,
however great your present distress and danger is.”
Hebert Wolf – “The name ‘Immanuel’ was a rebuke to Ahaz.
If ‘God is with us,’ why should he have feared the enemy?
The symbolic significance of ‘Immanuel’ indicates that He was
a child who would be ‘God with us’ in a unique sense.”
This promise was that God would be with his people to protect them from the coming invasion so they would be delivered from their enemies. Ultimately God would be with them in the person
of Christ who would save us from the punishment for our sins.
John Gill – “The name is expressive of the union of the two natures, human and divine, in him . . . being both God and man.”
He would be both fully man and fully God in a unique person.
Immanuel means that God himself must dwell in the Messiah.
Application
Immanuel – “God with us” reveals that he knows the problems
we face and he will help us handle them if we will trust him.
1. Personal – anger, jealously, self-control,or worry.
2. Physical – problems that affect your health.
3. Family – relationships which are broken and need to be restored.
4. Job – to help you handle the everyday pressure and stress.
DIVINE FULFILLMENT Matthew 1:18-23
Circumstances :18-19
Joseph was betrothed to Mary meaning they were legally pledged to be married. But before they were officially married she was pregnant and Joseph knew that he was not the father. Being a godly man he wanted to do what was right so he decided to end their engagement quietly instead of publicly shaming Mary.
Conception :20
God speaks to Joseph telling him that Mary is innocent because
the baby was conceived from the Holy Spirit not some other man.
Luke 1:35 The angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called – the Son of God.”
Son :21a
As son who would have all the rights and privileges of the firstborn son in the family. Because he was the son of God he would have
all of the rights of being the head of the family of God, the church.
Luke 1:32He will be called the Son of the Most High.
Frederick Godet – “The idea expressed by this title is a personal and mysterious relation between this child and the Divine Being.”
Name :21b
The child to be born would be a son who would be their Savior.
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which
literally means Jehovah saves or salvation is of Jehovah.
John Calvin – “The name Jesus presents to us the Son of God
as the Author of salvation because he is the eternal God.”
Jehovah had saved them from slavery in Egypt and now his son
Jesus would save his people spiritually from the penalty of sin.
Fulfillment :22-23
Matthew wants his readers to clearly understand that the birth
of Jesus was a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 which was made over
700 years earlier so he quotes the promise in :23.
God was faithful to keep his word down to the exact detail that
a virgin would become pregnant and give birth to a son.
Matthew Poole – “God dwelling among us, in our nature.”
Herbert Wolf – “Never before had God been with his people the way he was present with them as the incarnate Son of God.”
APPLICATION
Why did God need to send his son to earth to become a man?
Or what was the purpose of the incarnation (taking on flesh)?
1. Jesus took on a human body to fulfill the will of God.
Hebrews 10:5,7 Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me . . . Behold, I have come
to do your will, O God.
God did not delight in the thousands of burnt offerings because of sin. His desire was that someone would come and live a righteous life and to do that they would have to have a human body.
2. Sin could only be forgiven by a sacrifice and only a man could
really be the right sacrifice for another man. There needed to be
a person who was without sin who could be our perfect sacrifice.
M. Henry – “Christ was born of a virgin, not only because his birth was to be supernatural and altogether extraordinary, but because it
was to be spotless and pure, and without any stain of sin.”
Romans 5:19For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam)
the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s
obedience (Jesus) the many will be made righteous.
3. Jesus Christ was born a man so he could die a real death.
Phil. 2:7-8 Christ being born in the likeness of men . . .
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death . . .
He died in our place for our sins so we could be forgiven.
4. Jesus, because he was sinless could die as a perfect sacrifice.
Hebrews 10:12When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
5. If you believe Jesus died in your place for your sins then
God accepts his death in your place so you are forgiven.
John 3:16God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
CONCLUSION
The Christmas carols clearly state that Jesus was God with us.
1. Angles From The Realms of Glory:
Shepherds in the field abiding . . .God with man is now residing.
2. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing:
Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity.
3. O Little Town of Bethlehem:
O come to us, abide with us our Lord Emmanuel.
4. Silent Night! Holy Night!
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord at thy birth.
Popular Christian writer C.S. Lewis – “The Son of God
became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”