Immanuel God with Us

Immanuel – God with Us

Introduction:

Read Matthew 1:18-25. (Matthew 1:23) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.” NKJV The Savior being called “Immanuel” is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” In the closing words of Matthew’s account of the gospel, our Savior tells His followers this, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) So what does “Immanuel – God with us” mean for us today? What is the significance of our Savior being both divine and human?

Body:

The Son of Man

This phrase is connected with His humanity. Jesus had a human mother. (Matthew 1:16) He was born like other babies were born. While it was a holy night, it wasn’t a silent one!
Jesus was fully human; he possessed human characteristics. (Hebrews 2:14a, Matthew 13:54-56)
Physically
Jesus became flesh. (John 1:14a) He grew and became strong. (Luke 2:40a) He had a human form. (Philippians 2:8)
Jesus became hungry. (Matthew 4:2) He ate and digested food like we do.
Jesus grew tired. (John 4:5-6) He needed to sleep. (Matthew 8:24)
Jesus felt pain and bled. (Matthew 27:25-31)
Mentally – Jesus increased in wisdom. (Luke 2:52)
Emotionally
Jesus felt compassion. (Matthew 9:35-36)
Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. (Luke 19:41)
Jesus was in agony. (Luke 22:43-44)
Jesus was sorrowful and troubled. (Matthew 26:36-38)

So being the Son of Man, He is able to completely identify with us.

The Son of God

This phrase is connected with His divinity. Just as He possessed human characteristics, He also possessed divine characteristic. He is fully God. (Colossians 2:9) “God with us” has always been God. (John 1:1-2) He existed in the form of God. (Philippians 2:6) “Form” is the true and exact nature of something possessing all the characteristics and qualities of something. “Exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3)
Jesus’ divinity is seen in His power over disease. (Matthew 5:23-24)
It is seen in His power over nature when He rebuked and calmed storms or fed thousands with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.
His divinity is seen in His authority over sin. (Matthew 9:1-6) This is the account of the paralytic who was healed.
It is also seen in His power over death. He raised the ruler’s daughter from the dead. (Matthew 9:24-25)

Just as Jesus is fully able to identify with humanity, He is also fully able to identify with God.

Conclusion:

“Immanuel – God with us” has such great significance for us. Jesus left the glories of heaven to willingly die on the cross for us. (I Peter 2:24) This shows that God wants to spend eternity with us. (Revelation 21:3)

Bobby Stafford November 30, 2014