Tag Archives: Immanuel

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Immanuel—God Is With Us

1 Comment

 

Matthew 1:18-25

Names have great significance in the Bible. Jesus was called Messiah in Hebrew, which is translated as Christ in Greek. Both of those terms designated Him as an anointed One who would become King. Immanuel was another important name He was given. It means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).

To understand what a difference it makes to have God with us, consider how this blessing affected three biblical leaders. First of all, the Lord’s presence was the reason Moses repeatedly approached Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelite slaves—God’s promise enabled him to overcome his fear (Ex. 3:12).

Second, after Moses’ death, Joshua was appointed to take Israel into the Promised Land. Imagine what it meant to this new leader to realize that the Father was always near. As commander, Joshua would face many challenges, including travel, combat, and rebellion. He could be a courageous leader because he knew that the Lord would never leave him.

Third, as a young shepherd boy and later as king, David knew the Lord’s presence well (1 Sam. 17:37; 2 Sam. 7:18). In Psalm 23, he wrote that in his darkest times, he would not fear evil because God was with him.

Our Father has pledged to be with all those whom He has redeemed (Isa. 43:1-2). If you’ve received Jesus as your personal Savior, then His Holy Spirit dwells within you. No matter what happens in your life, God remains with you to strengthen, guide, and comfort.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Christmas – A Personal Promise

Leave a comment

What do you consider most significant about Christmas? Many people would say visiting with relatives, attending parties, or giving and receiving gifts. For believers, however, Christmas is far more than a December holiday with time off from work. It is a personal promise from God to mankind.

The significance of this special day is embodied in two scriptural names. In the first chapter of Matthew, an angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary, his fiancée, would bear a son conceived of the Holy Spirit. He instructed Joseph to name the child “Jesus” (v. 21). He also announced that the birth would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy: “‘They shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means ‘God with us’” (v. 23, referring toIsaiah 7:14).

Let’s examine the two names in this passage—Jesus and Immanuel. The name “Jesus” is a transliteration of the Old Testament Hebrew wordJoshua, meaning “the Lord is salvation.” When the angel said, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (v. 21), he was pointing to the significance of that original Christmas: God provided a solution for your sin and mine, as well as for the sin of the entire world—past, present, and future.

Seven hundred years before Christ’s birth, Isaiah’s prophecy was a word of hope and encouragement to Judah as it faced a great crisis. The prophet’s message was an indication of what God was about to do then as well as what would ultimately be fulfilled in the Messiah’s advent.Immanuel, a name full of promise, was God’s way of assuring the Old Testament saints that He was with them. Taken together, these two names encompass what we need for our entire life: Jesus, the pardoner of our sins, and Immanuel, the divine presence within us to help and guide every moment of every day. The names and the promises in them are the foundation for every facet of Christian life.

So how did God engineer that first Christmas to fulfill the promises of Jesus and Immanuel? His method was the incarnation. On the night Christ was born, the eternal God—motivated by love—entered the human family. He was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and physically born of a virgin. Jesus never ceased to be God, and He remained perfectly sinless in His being.

If the incarnation hadn’t taken place exactly as it did, then we would still be living in our sin. According to Scripture, the punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The Bible also says that God rejects any imperfect sacrifice (Deut. 17:1). Jesus, because of His absolute sinlessness, is the only one who could save us by offering Himself as a payment for our sin debt.

Apart from the birth of God in human flesh, every one of us would have to stand before God with all of our sin resting upon us, and our sins would separate us from Him (Isa. 59:2). So the incarnation is the promise of Jesus—“the Lord is salvation”—for every person in the world.

But that was not the full extent of God’s awesome plan. He also promised us His presence, which was fulfilled in the birth of Immanuel. Jesus was “God with us,” the incarnate Deity, who physically lived and walked among men to show us what the heavenly Father is like.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus encouraged His disciples with the promise of God’s indwelling presence. Christ said that when He went away, He would ask the Father to send the Spirit of truth, who “abides with you and will be in you” to teach, remind, comfort, and guide every step of the way (John 14:17, 26).

Far better than God simply being “with me” is God within me, for me, and through me! And that is His promise to every generation of believers—the incomparable, supernatural, immeasurable God will take up residence inside us and be everything we need. Once He lives within you, there will never be a time you have to walk without Him (Heb. 13:5).

In light of the wonderful promise of God’s redemption and presence, believers should be confident and courageous. We don’t have a single need He can’t satisfy. How can we worry when the sovereign, almighty God is with us?

So this year, as you gather on Christmas morning, I encourage you and your family to kneel and give thanks to almighty God. The incarnation is the very essence of Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with the gifts or festivities, as long as they don’t crowd out what belongs in first place: Christmas is about God breaking into humanity, shattering time, and becoming life and hope and help to all mankind.

 

Related Resources

Related Audio

Jesus—His First Appearance

Why did Jesus—God Incarnate—come to earth? (Listen to Jesus—His First Appearance now.)

 

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — God With Us

Leave a comment

Our Daily Bread

Matthew 1:18-25

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.” —Matthew 1:23

His presence in the room was obvious. Everyone else was dressed rather formally. He had on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a weathered baseball cap. I couldn’t help but notice him as I addressed students that day in a seminary chapel in Bucharest, Romania. I have no idea why he didn’t conform to the norms of seminary attire, but I do remember his name.

At the close of the meeting he came up to introduce himself. When I asked him his name, he answered, “Immanuel.” I was surprised by his answer and asked if he knew what that meant; he unashamedly replied, “Yes—‘God with us!’”

I’ve often thought about that young man and how he stood out in the crowd. Just as Jesus came to bring the presence of God into our world—“Immanuel . . . God with us” (Matt. 1:23)—so too we are called to bring His presence into our world. Jesus made that clear when He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

This Christmas, we can give the gift of God’s likeness through us. When our lives reflect the God who lives in us, we can be different from the world, and that difference can bless others with the transforming presence of His love and grace. —Joe Stowell

His Spirit fill my hungering soul,

His power all my life control;

My deepest prayer, my highest goal,

That I may be like Jesus.

—Thomas Chisholm © Renewal 1973. Lillenas Publishing

The gift of God’s presence through you is your gift to the world.

Bible in a year: Nahum 1-3; Revelation 14

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Here for You

Leave a comment

greglaurie

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5

Maybe you are having a difficult time this Christmas. Maybe your marriage has fallen apart and you are alone. Let me tell you something: God is with you. Maybe your kids have forgotten about you this year. Jesus hasn’t forgotten about you. His name is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Maybe your parents have forgotten about you. But God your Father has not forgotten about you.

Christmas is about undoing loneliness. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). From the original language, it literally could read something like this: “I will never, no never, no never leave you or forsake you.” He is going to be with you in the happy days. He is going to be with you in the sad days. He is going to be with you on the hard days. He will be with you through all of your days. Then He will be waiting for you on the other side to welcome you into glory. You don’t have to be afraid, because God is with you.

Sometimes people have asked me, “How do you get through the holidays if you have lost a loved one? Is there some book I can read?” My answer is that you don’t need a manual; you need Immanuel. You need to know that God is there. You need to lean into Him. That is the essential message of this holiday season: that God came near.

What we are longing for, deep down inside, is not Christmas, but Christ; not merriment, but the Messiah; not goodwill, but God; not presents, but His presence in our lives. Anyone or anything short of that will disappoint.

That is what this season all about. It is about Immanuel, God is with us. He is here for you.